Captain Konoha
by IceyBoi2003
Summary: The Brother of the Fourth is found after 12 years of him being missing. He returns to Konoha to find it much different than when he left it.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a continuation of the story 'Taicho' by ThisPageHasBeenAbandoned93. The first few chapters will be the original story with a few changes here and there in the grammatical sense.**

**Enjoy.**

**~~Prologue: Origin-sample 1~~**

"_Is this thing on? Ah good, ok, now...Experiment TL-09,"_ a hissing, snake-like voice said from a recorder. Three people glared at a white-skinned man with purple marks decorating around his eyes and long black hair during the investigation concerning a recently found spikey-haired twenty-year-old male. The man's snake-like build, similar to that of the famed Yamata no Orochi, and golden eyes gleaming with madness stayed equal to the three scrutinizing him.

"_Subject's name; Namikaze Naruto, obviously the younger brother of the Dead Last's star student Namikaze Minato. Ku-Ku-Ku, also known as the second jinchuriki to the Nine-Tails, taking the place of the First's wife, whats-her-name Uzumaki or something...Ah, whatever. I have been decreed by a...Ku-Ku-Ku...acquaintance to create the perfect Shinobi to counter the Iwagakure forces that overwhelm us. You'd think we'd stop fighting, but Iwa must believe in the whole, third time's the charm, eh? Ku-Ku-Ku..."_

The elderly man wearing white and red robes with a triangular hat bearing the kanji of Fire narrowed his eyes, enhancing the wrinkles surrounding his face, and felt repulsed when the white-skinned man simply grinned in response. How could he have failed so miserably?

"_Tape five. I cannot believe the results I am receiving from these tests! Even now, the nineteen-year-old jinchuriki brat is changing physically. I estimate him to have the build of perhaps sensei's sensei when my experiments are over, despite his age and original build. Imagine, all I had to do was tell him I could help him become a better shinobi and boom! The perfect subject. His healing factor is the only bump I can't get through...unless...Hmm, yes...Ku-Ku-Ku"_

A voluptuous blonde woman with her hair pulled back in two ponytails had her arms crossed over her jonin flak jacket and her headband hid a small purple diamond mark on her forehead. Her golden-brown eyes were narrowed in fury and her flawless skin was crinkled around her nose as she gave her teammate a scowl of disgust. How she wished she could just kick him repetitively in the balls and then rip them off, sew them back on, and rip them off again...but knowing that sick bastard, he'd get off on it.

"_Tape Seven. Three pain intolerance tests again a success. He has learned to push the pain away for later, and with his healing factor, he probably won't feel it at all. Might he go mad from the phantom pains later on, possibly...possibly...only time will tell, however. I should go to resume the fourth test."_

A man with white hair falling down to the small of his backcrossed his arms as his eyes narrowed, a snarl of anger making the blood tears on his cheeks that only barely reached the bottom of his face contorts along with his facial muscles. His fists were clenched and shaking at his side, itching to whip out a toad technique or two to kick his 'rival' and friends ass from here to Iwa.

"_Tape Ten. Kami...he's perfect now. I've done it! I've actually created the perfect shinobi to defend our village! Those Iwa shinobi won't know what hit them! Ku-Ku-Ku! I've...Wait...What are you doing? Hey! Don't touch that! You stupid Kid! I am your creator! Obey me!" "Fuck you, Teme! Rrrggh!" "Gaaa-*shhshshshshsh*"_

The Hokage clicked a button on the tape and he narrowed his eyes before asking, "What do you have to say for yourself...Orochimaru?"

"Ku-Ku-Ku," the Sanin chuckled out, "Why...I think you owe me a thank you sensei."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a kind Kage, but he knew Iwa was preparing for one final shot at kicking Konohagakure no Sato from their spot at the top of the 'Food Chain'. What his student had done to that boy...to the brother of one of the up and coming shinobi and the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune no less...it was madness. Simply madness. Now had he been an easily angered man, Sarutobi would have ordered his student to be hung and gutted in the town square for the crimes against the teenage jinchuriki that could barely walk up a tree. But like stated before, he wasn't easily angered.

His other students, however, their fumes were lit and had been burning for the past ten minutes. Before he could stop the white-haired man, said Toad Sanin buried his fist into the Snake Sanin's stomach.

"You Baka!" the forty-year-old man shouted, backhanding the chuckling Hebi Sanin hard before the blonde woman wrapped her arms around his and pulled them behind his back, "Minato already has to worry about his Uzumaki girl because of the sudden attack on Uzugakure no Sato and his new genin team. That's not enough though, because you had to go and pull this on his kid brother? What kind of monster are you?"

"We are on the brink of war, Jiraiya-Baka," Orochimaru chuckled back, spitting a bit of blood to the side, "I'm taking action while your little golden boy focuses on unimportant trivial things such as the falling of one of our meager allies."

"You're twisted, Orochimaru!" the blonde woman shouted, barely restraining herself and her friend from killing their other teammate, "Simply twisted! That boy is just that: A boy!"

"Ku-Ku-Ku...Not anymore," the snake replied with a chuckle, "Tsunade-hime...you've checked over him yourself. He's perfectly fine, isn't he? One Hundred Percent. Not to mention he's managed to learn through, Ku-Ku, _experience_..."

"Let me go! I'll kill him! I'LL KILL HIM!" Jiraiya roared before Tsunade pressed a spot on his neck and he went limp instantly. The Hokage called for the ANBU to take the cackling Sanin away while the other was laid on a couch in his office. The busty blonde sighed and pulled her headband off her head before setting it on her sensei's desk, earning a look of confusion from him.

She looked at the Hokage with narrowed eyes and said, "This is the last straw, Sensei. I warned you he was changing...I didn't want to lose anyone else, but you refused to listen to me. ME! A renowned Medical Kunoichi! I could barely handle Nawaki's death, and it was with yours and this Baka's help that I made it through Dan's...this is the last straw though, Sensei. Orochi is gone. Fallen into the lust for power."

Sarutobi held his hand up to stop her and lowered it before interlocking his hands, "I understand, Tsunade. I'm...I'm sorry I never listened to you. But please stay, stay and help Naruto-Kun."

"That's just it, Sensei," Tsunade whispered as she walked to the window and looked at the Konohagakure hospital with saddened eyes, "He doesn't need help...Because Orochimaru, no matter how twisted he was, was right about one thing."

"Oh?" the Kage asked, intrigued, "What's that?"

"He's now a perfect ninja..." Tsunade said with closed eyes, "A Super Shinobi."

"How do you feel, Naruto-Kun?" A young teenaged medical kunoichi named Shizune asked. The twenty-year-old blonde grinned and hopped out of his bed, revealing his impressively built body as he wore nothing but his boxers, and flexed his biceps.

"I feel amazing!" Naruto replied with a grin, his three whisker-like marks on his cheeks curving with his smile and adding a foxy look to his face. His cerulean blue eyes radiated kindness and the younger kunoichi giggled at her senior and friend.

"That's what we like to hear," Shizune replied, her face slightly flushed as the boy examined himself in a mirror, "Tsunade-sempai gave you a clean bill of health...how is it you came here covered in bruises last night, blaming Orochimaru-sama?"

"Orochi-_teme_, Imouto," he corrected as he sucked in some air and examined his abs, "And...Well, to be honest, I barely remember the past year. Snake-Baka had me hopped up on so many herbs, I doubt I even knew what my foot looked like!"

Shizune giggled before writing down that sentence for her report before hugging the clipboard to her chest and smiling as the blonde turned back to her, his now six feet two inches being a large improvement from his previous five feet six inches. She went to a closet in the room and pulled out hospital issued sweats and a wife-beater, tossing the articles to the blonde who caught them easily and pulled them on while she grabbed a pair of temporary sandals for his increased size.

"Aw, shit," Naruto suddenly said with a groan, "I'm going to have to buy new clothes aren't I?"

"Language, Naruto-Kun, language," Shizune chided with a giggle. Naruto gave her a sheepish smile before sighing and pulling his shirt and sandals on.

"I might as well go get those clothes then, hmm?" he asked, getting another snicker from the black-haired girl and making the man smile in response.

**~~Time Skip: 12 Years Later; Yuki no Kuni~~**

"Sasuke-Kun, look out!" cried a pink-haired girl with long pink hair wearing a red sweater and cloak over a pair of kunoichi issued shorts with thermally enhanced sandals on her feet. On her head where a hairband would be was her red headband with the symbol of Konohagakure no Sato carved into the metal plate. She stood in front of a fairly dressed knockout woman with a kunai held in the standard reverse defensive stance. Her name was Haruno Sakura.

A black-haired boy with a duck-ass styled hairdo and a single purple mark on his left cheek flipped back as a dragon forged from ice slammed into the ground beneath him. He wore a long-sleeved blue shirt with a dark cloak protecting him from the harsh cold as well as thermal sandals similar to his pink-haired comrade. Around his forehead, keeping the bangs from his eyes, was his own dark blue headband, gleaming in the barely visible sunlight. His name, Uchiha Sasuke; the last loyal Uchiha to Konohagakure no Sato. He groaned as a sudden beam of light reflected off the surface where the dragon had made contact.

"Yo! Teme!" a brash boy with brown hair hollered as he and a white puppy ran up to push the raven-haired boy to the ground, narrowly avoiding another dragon attack while a brown haired girl and three grey dogs ran towards the caster of the attack, a large man with beady eyes and a singlet outfit with chakra armor on his arms. The boy and girl were siblings, both members of the Inuzuka Clan, evident from the red marks on their cheeks, and both wore fur coats that were black and grey, standard issued pants and thermal sandals. All they needed to stay warm, due to their beast-like adaptive skills.

"Get off me, Kiba!" Sasuke snarled, shoving the boy off him as they dodged a female wearing a singlet similar to the large man with chakra armor forming wings for her to speed around as she created a sinister spear of Ice. Sasuke ran until he slid suddenly and fell onto his back. He shut his eyes in pain and the woman took advantage.

"Time to die, Konoha brat!" she cried, chucking the spear at the seemingly helpless boy. The teen grinned before opening his eyes, now a blood red as opposed to the coal-black they were before, and ran through some hand seals.

"**Supreme Fireball Technique!**" His voice rang out as he suddenly shot an enormous ball of fire from his mouth. The heat resonating off this attack melted the ice he rested on and he fell down onto...a body?

Not taking time to be distracted by whatever he fell on, Sasuke growled as his attack managed to melt the woman's attack, but failed to do much damage to her. Before he could jump up, an arm lifted up, covered in dark blue ANBU-like armor with a grey skintight sleeve underneath it, and pulled Sasuke off whatever person he rested on. Sasuke landed on his hands and knees in time to see a man he had only seen in photos back home climb out of the small hole he was once in.

The young Uchiha was slack-jawed as a man wearing armor similar to the Second Hokage, only without the fur and a dark navy blue, with a skintight grey shirt underneath rolled his neck and adjusted his helmet on his head. The helmet was the same color as the armor he wore, looking like a simple bowl with two holes for eyes and a strap on the left side to attach under his chin. On the forehead of the helmet was a dark grey Konohagakure no Sato symbol. His hands had dark blue and black gloves covering them and he wore navy blue shinobi slacks, dark kneepads and shin guards attached to the pants and steel-toed boots covering his feet. Around his waist was a dark red-orange belt with several pouches of various sizes scattered around it.

On the man's chest was the grey kanji for Fire. On his back was a large circular shield, which he instantly reached for and attached to his left arm. He looked down at the stunned Uchiha and offered him his right hand, allowing Sasuke to see his face, part of it anyway.

His face needed a shave only because of the blonde shadow growing and on his cheeks were three slashes, parallel to either side. His cerulean blue eyes bore into Sasuke's own Sharingan eyes, causing the boy to instantly memorize them.

"What's your name, Green?" the man asked, his voice sounding awfully young. Sasuke remained silent for a moment before the man suddenly pushed him away, exclaiming, "Watch out!"

"Ooh, a new friend to play...with..." the flying girl said as she glided over the newcomer and Sasuke. She hovered in midair as the blue-clad newcomer narrowed his eyes and slightly jerked his left arm down, loading his hand with three kunai.

"I...I thought you were a myth..." she whispered with wide eyes. The man didn't reply, but he did throw the kunai in his hands with unnatural accuracy before turning one-hundred-eighty degrees and tossing his shield at the large man that attempted to blindside the young Inuzuka heir. The shield rebounded off the man's nose, causing him to swerve to the right and fall in the water, barely managing to swim back to an iceberg. The flying girl had hit the ground near the larger man and a third shinobi wearing chakra armor, this one a man with a natural build looked over the newcomer with wide eyes.

"Doto-sama is going to want to know about this..." he muttered before throwing a smoke bomb down to cover their escape.

"Damn!" Kiba shouted, running to where the three once were, "They got away! Come on, Akamaru! We gotta get a scent!"

As the puppy yipped and ran alongside him, the blue-clad shinobi caught his shield and reattached it to his arm, saying, "Don't bother. They're gone."

Kiba stopped running as he took notice of the newcomer and went into a defensive stance as well as his sister, Hana, did. The Inuzuka heiress was brought along to further her knowledge in the human medical field as well as to help Kiba keep Akamaru calm.

"Identify yourself!" Hana called, narrowing her eyes. The blue-clad man looked at her, faltering slightly in his confidant stance.

"...Tsu-chan?" he whispered when another thump in the snow earned his attention and he turned to face it, his shield up covering himself defensively. His eyes widened as he looked at a man with gravity-defying white hair with a mask on his face and his headband branded with the Konohagakure leaf was angled over his left eye.

"Captain?" the man whispered in shock, "Captain Naruto?"

"Kakashi..." Naruto replied with equally wide eyes. Sakura and their client, not to mention the film crew also under the Konohagakure no Sato's protection ran up.

"Sensei?" Kiba and Sakura chorused before glaring at one another and looking back at the white-haired man. Kakashi held his head and took a half step back.

"Captain...y-you're alive...YOU'RE ALIVE!" he exclaimed with glee before rushing to the man and embracing him in a hug, earning a brotherly hug in return. The two broke off before the five-second rule could even consider being in effect.

"Kakashi...Look at you!" Naruto said in awe as he held the white-haired man at arm's length, "You're...old! How long have I been gone? Six years? Seven?"

"Twelve, Captain," the white-haired jonin confirmed before worriedly looking at him with his one eye, "Where have you been?"

Naruto furrowed his brows before holding his head as he tried to remember, "I...I don't remember anything after..."

He suddenly fell forward as his vision went black, Kakashi barely managing to catch the Super Shinobi. Carefully, he eased him to the ground and said, "Hana! Give him a once over, check his vitals. I'll tell you what's normal or not."

"Sensei..." Sasuke finally said, stepping forward, "Is this...Is this who I think it is?"

"Hai, Sasuke," Kakashi said looking at his student as everyone slightly crowded while still giving Hana room to work, before he looked back at the unconscious armored man, "This is Captain Konoha...the younger brother of the Yondaime Hokage."


	2. Chapter 2

~~Flashback After Experiment~~

Naruto walked through the village in his usual dark blue shirt and black shinobi shorts, on his left shoulder was the Namikaze/Uzumaki swirl that now represented his clan since his brother adopted the Uzumaki swirl as the symbol. He personally would have gone with a star or something, but shrugged it off and accepted it.

"N-Naruto-sensei?" a brown haired girl with two purple marks on her cheeks asked as the blonde Super Shinobi walked past. Naruto paused and turned to look back, seeing with the girl a raven-haired boy wearing orange goggles on his head as well as a white-haired boy, significantly younger than the other two, wearing a mask over the lower half of his face. The girl had a brown baggy shirt and a darker brown skirt on as well as standard prepubescent sandals. The white-haired boy wore a black shirt with shoulder guards attached to either side with black shinobi pants and a belt.

With a smile, the blue-eyed man nodded, "Ohayo Rin-chan, Kaka-san, Bito-san. A great day isn't it?"

"Naruto-sensei! W-What...How...YOU'RE FRIGGEN HUGE!" Obito, the raven-haired boy exclaimed, gesturing wildly as he hopped around, examining the man. He wore a black T-shirt, showing that he was "off duty", and white baggy shorts, his relaxation clothes.

"Baka," Kakashi muttered, flicking the excited Uchiha over the back of the head, "You shouldn't just assume he's who he is."

Before the blonde could correct the white-haired boy, Kakashi raised two fingers and explained, "Kai!"

When no genjutsu dropped or a significant amount of chakra fell, Kakashi looked back up at the man and gave him two eye smiles, "He checks out...Besides, Naruto-sensei's only good for Taijutsu."

"Oi!" Naruto snapped, embarrassed from the three snickering preteens, "I'll have you know I just got promoted to commander right!?"

The three stopped laughing and looked at him for a minute before breaking out in even more laughter. Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead before snapping his fingers and unsealing his custom shield Ao* forged for him at his family shop. The three stopped laughing and stared wide-eyed at the gleaming shield in front of them.

"See this?" he asked them, getting nods of confusion, "This is my Shield. Or rather...the shield of Captain Konoha. Now, why would I have it sealed in my left arm?"

Instantly he was bombarded with question after question from Obito, a wide-eyed Kakashi that stared speechless at the shield in his hand, and a blushing Rin that shifted her gaze from the blonde to the shield and back. Naruto grinned before beginning to answer Obito's questions and resume his walk to his training ground.

Sometimes it was good to have a reputation.

~~Present~~

"Who is the Captain Konoha again, Sasuke-Kun?" Sakura whispered as she, Kiba, and Sasuke walked behind their sensei, Hana, their client, and the unconscious shinobi lying on a dog-sled Kakashi unsealed from a scroll. The Haimaru Trio pulled the sled that held the unconscious shinobi to shelter while Kakashi remained silent, professional...and listened to his star pupil explain who the man was.

"Captain Naruto was the brother of the Yondaime Hokage," Sasuke whispered back, unknowingly attracting the attention of their client and a very curious Inuzuka Hana, "He also trained my parents and Kakashi-Oji-sensei. Taii, as my Tousan called him, was as strong as the Gama Sennin Jiraiya and is the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko that was defeated by the Shodai. Some people say he had to go to all nine tails to defeat the Yondaime in a spar."

"That's a lie!" an indignant cry came from the now fully conscious Super Shinobi. Everyone looked forward as the blue-clad shinobi rolled his neck and hopped off the sled. He stretched for a moment before he walked down to the three genin and looked at them all with a slightly upset look on his face.

"I only have to go to three tails to beat Minato!" he corrected with a foxy grin, making the three face plant (along with many other eavesdroppers) and their sensei laugh. Naruto chuckled before sighing and walking back alongside Kakashi.

"How is my brother anyway, Kakashi?" the blonde asked, frowning when he saw the white-haired man visibly tense.

"I...I think it's better if you wait until we get back home, Captain," quietly replied the white-haired man. Naruto frowned and pushed the ache and hurt aside, willing to wait until he returned home.

"Ok...then what's the mission here?" he asked, getting the attention from the now relieved white-haired man, "Get me up to speed, Kaka-baka."

Kakashi chuckled, happy to hear an old nickname no one had used in over seven years, before replying, "It was supposed to be a simple escort mission for once...C, borderline B, but..."

"It upped itself because of cheap clients?" the blue-eyed shinobi asked, earning a nod before looking back at the blue-haired civilian, who blushed under his gaze, and looking back at Kakashi said, "How in the Hell is she cheap?"

"She's not the client," Kakashi said, pointing at Yukio and then at her agent, "He is. She's an actress we have to defend."

"...She's not an actress," Naruto commented, earning an angered 'Hey!' from the woman in question, "She's the Princess of Yuki no Kuni."

Yukio, her agent, and the entire film crew and shinobi paused while Naruto kept walking. He stopped when he realized he was a good forty-five paces ahead of them and looked back.

"Did I say something?" he asked. Upon receiving nothing but silence, he continued, "Then let's move people! Doto-teme might be older, but I doubt he's just as cunning!"

That got everyone moving once again, Kakashi taking the time people had paused to re-seal his sled back while Hana removed the harnesses from her dogs and they ran up to Naruto's side. Ever since they had come in contact with his scent, they had shifted their loyalties slightly, as if he was an alpha Inuzuka. It perplexed Hana profoundly while Kakashi looked at the sight with even more sadness. He wondered how his friend would come to terms with such drastic changes while he was away.

"Go back to your pack-mate, boys," the blonde said quietly as they happily yipped and pranced around him, "She is the one in charge, not me...not anymore..."

Obeying the man's words, the three ran back to Hana's side and kept guard while conversing amongst themselves. Hana was surprised to find she couldn't understand her partners, something that only happened when an Alpha was giving them a secret order. Now she was beyond perplexed; Hana was now in full-out investigation mode.

The group stopped outside a cave where Naruto began giving orders out to the cast and crew of the film, directing them to where they would be safe. Hana watched him with suspicion, the feeling of knowing him overcoming her. Ever since he had woken up from whatever he was in, the man's eyes and voice just rang bells in her mind, setting off alarm after alarm but whenever she tried to connect it with a face, nothing came up. It was as if something was blocking her from remembering him.

"Inuzuka-chan?"

Speak of the devil, Hana thought before turning to face Naruto and noting he had removed his helmet-like headband, giving her a concerned glance.

"You ok?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You look troubled."

"I-It's nothing Captain," Hana lied, giving him a forced smile, only causing him to frown even more.

"If you say so, Inuzuka-chan," Naruto replied, removing his hand and giving her a small smile, "Might want to get inside before your brother kills his teammate."

No sooner had he said that did a crash echo from the cave and the pink-haired girl named Sakura shrieked, "KIBA-BAKA!"

"Correction, before his teammate kills him," Naruto chuckled out as the sixteen-year-old girl groaned and ran inside to deal with her brother. Naruto's face dropped into a concerned one once again and he lowered his head, sighing heavily before resuming his patrol for any Yukigakure shinobi.

"It seems Hana-chan doesn't remember me..." the blonde muttered sadly as a tear went down his cheek and he looked at the cloudy sky as he walked, "What happened while I was gone?"

~~Somewhere Within Yukigakure no Sato~~

"You're sure of this?" a man wearing a large dark regal cloak asked the three Yukigakure shinobi kneeled before him. They had informed him of the return of his niece and of her guards. This didn't worry him. What did worry him was the fact that a blue armored shinobi with a shield suddenly appeared in the battle.

"Positive Doto-sama," the Yuki shinobi confirmed. Doto growled and interlocked his hands in front of his face.

"This...is very...unnerving..." the current daimyo of Yuki no Kuni growled before he stood, "Prepare the train if they are where you say they are, I know exactly where to head."

"At once, Doto-sama," the three said, bowing their heads before vanishing in small blizzard winds. Doto frowned and walked over to his messaging hawks before writing down a small scroll and tying it to one. Grabbing the hawk's beak, Doto gave it strict instructions.

"Go straight to Otogakure no Sato," he growled before opening the window and throwing the bird out it. He shut the window and turned around, walking over to his personal chambers and opening a closet, revealing his personal chakra armor.

"This time, Konohagakure no Taichou, you shall not escape..." the man smirked sinisterly before laughing aloud and pulling the armor on.

Naruto sneezed before rubbing under his nose as he watched the crew set up the materials for the next scene. He glanced over at the training genin that Kakashi lazily watched as he flipped through his (Naruto's) Godfather's prized novel. Naruto shook his head in disbelief and looked back at the forged set when a cry of 'NOOOOOOOO!' earned his attention. He turned to see the director screaming at a cameraman who was bowed and begging forgiveness.

Curious he walked over and stopped next to the male lead, asking, "What's his problem?"

The lead actor, Michy, sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "The cameraman lost all film before the attack on the mountain. So now basically we have to redo everything...again."

"Ouch," the blonde said, taking his helmet off and running a hand through his hair, "That sucks..."

"No, it doesn't suck," Michy muttered as he crossed his arms, "It's a complete and utter waste of my time. I may be loyal to the film, but not to an incompetent director that can't make up his mind. I'm done."

"What?" Naruto repeated in confusion, looking at the actor, but he was already walking away, "Oh...this is not going to end well."

"NOOOOOOOOO!" the director cried after hearing about Michy walking offset towards a nearby village (not Yukigakure), "Now what shall we do for romantic interest? I mean, we can easily write off Sukeakuro easily, but...we're doomed!"

"Well...what about him?" Kin, another male lead, asked, gesturing to Naruto. The Super Shinobi jerked his head back when the director and the writer suddenly appeared in his face. The two began examining him, poking and prodding him as well as muttering to themselves.

"Take the helmet off," the writer said, earning a worried look from the shinobi. Noticing his hesitation, the Director barked, "Now!"

"H-hai!" Naruto complied quickly, removing his helmet and allowing the movie cast and crew to get a good look at him. Yukie donned a small pink tint on her cheeks and Kin and Hideo grinned widely as the director and writer suddenly released an excited squeal.

"He's perfect!" the director said, grabbing Naruto's face and pulling him down to their height, "The innocent eyes combined with the spikey blonde hair give off the childish vibe while his chiseled face reveals his more masculine side. Not to mention those whisker marks! Women will kill just to see him on screen!"

"Thir? Pwease welease my fash..." Naruto mumbled out as the Director kept squeezing his head. The Director apologized and released him, letting the blonde Super Shinobi rub his abused jaw before standing back at attention and continuing, "I regret to inform you that I am only here to protect Fujikaze-hime as are the other Konohagakure Shinobi."

"B-B-But...this is a MOVIE we're talking about here!" the writer shouted, "with THE Yukie Fujikaze! Men would kill just to be in her presence, who knows what they would do to be in a film alongside her!"

"I reiterate," Taichou said with narrowed eyes, "I am not an actor. I am a Shinobi."

"Oh come on, Cap'n," Kakashi said with an eye smile as he approached his sensei's brother, "I'm sure it will pay off in the end, ne? When's the last time you even kissed a girl?"

"When's the last time you kissed a girl, Kaka-baka?" Naruto countered, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing the white-haired man suspiciously. The man remained silent and Naruto smirked, knowing he had him.

"...Will you do it for me, Captain-san?" Yukie meekly asked, earning everyone's attention. She smiled softly and put on her best 'Puppy Dog Eyes of Doom' before asking, "Please?"

Naruto groaned while Kakashi gave his sensei's brother a perverted smirk. Poor guy never could deny those eyes.

A few days passed, Naruto had begun shooting with the cast and crew, hating a good portion of it, while also spending time with Fujikaze Yukie. The actress had taken a liking to the blue armored Shinobi and often stayed by his side, despite her 'agent's plea against getting too friendly with the Captain; she was a famous actress after all. She had a reputation to protect.

Hana kept her eye on the armored man as well, often noticing sad glances towards her from the blonde or somewhat paternal smiles in her direction. It scared her sometimes, but it was welcome. Her mother had told her that her father had died during the second war, a good fifteen years ago, and said that Kiba's father had earned a special place in Hana's heart when she was a pup (child). Hana, however, didn't recall any of it.

Kakashi and Sasuke took their time talking to Namikaze Naruto, the former reflecting on the past happily while the latter asked questions about his sensei's youth. Something Naruto was all too glad to share with the 'Green' Genin as he called them. Kiba and Sasuke were enthralled by the many antics Naruto had found himself in while Sakura was suspicious of the man, believing he left a good portion of his story out. Whenever she addressed it though, he'd grimly state, "That's a tale for another time..."

It was during the time after they resumed traveling that Yukie had tried to 'run away' as they neared Yukigakure no Sato, the main village of Yuki no Kuni.

"Yukie-Hime!" Naruto called, his gloved right hand cupping the right side of his mouth while his shield rested at the ready on his left arm, "Where are you? Yukie-hime!"

The sound of a light grunt hit his ears and Naruto turned his head before dashing towards the woods near where he searched. The helmeted blonde sighed in relief when he came across the exhausted woman, her heavy breathing the only evidence of her exhaustion. Naruto pulled his shield off his arm and placed it over his back before crouching next to the woman and slipping his arms behind her back and under her knees.

"Hey, what are you-yipe!" Yukie squeaked out as he effortlessly picked her back up. The blonde was unaware that there was a camera crew nearby, capturing every moment of the Super Shinobi's rescue.

"You shouldn't sneak off like that, Yukie-hime," Naruto said quietly as the freezing actress didn't object to his way of carrying her, soaking the warmth he emitted up like a sponge, "You'll only put yourself in danger, 'tebayo."

"..." Yukie remained silent, staying in character while also admiring the jawline of the shinobi carrying her.

Naruto resumed his walk to the camp, walking through a long cave he came through when he searched for the actress when he suddenly stopped. Confused, Yukie looked up at him, keeping her eyes off the camera that followed behind them.

"What is it, Captain-san?" the actress asked quietly. Naruto turned around, not noticing the camera crew as he scanned past it when a faint horn hit his ears.

"Did you hear that?" he asked quietly as he set the actress back on her feet and knelt to the ground. He looked down and furrowed his brows behind his helmet, reaching out and touching a long metal bar that was frozen over. His eyes widened when something pulsed through it.

"Was that...chakra?" he asked no one in particular. The actress peered over his shoulder and gasped when another horn rang through the air.

"The train!" she whispered, as horror crossed her features and she looked at the entrance they both used for their return.

Naruto looked back at the actress and arched a brow, "The what?"

"We have to go...Now!" she shouted as the horn blared even louder. The sound of a machine's hydraulics working hard echoed in the cave and Naruto stood, drawing his shield as he reacted to the strange sound. Yukie quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him with her as she ran towards the exit. Naruto looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw a large metallic cylinder barreling through the tunnel. He barely registered the camera crew on wheels that sped past them, the cameraman swiveling around to catch this scene as though his job depended on it.

Which it did.

Naruto acted quickly and pulled Yukie back into a bridal carry, pumping his tenant's chakra to his legs as he raced at an unnatural speed.

"Hold on!" he shouted, moving the girl to wrap her arms around his neck as he ran with his shield now back on his arm. His right arm hooked under her right leg and her tightly, but not tight enough to choke him, held her arms around his neck.

"We'll never make it!" Yukie cried, the fear in her voice reflecting the look of terror on her face.

"The Hell we won't!" the Captain snarled as his thoughts turned inwards, Come on, Kyu...let's show em why we're the best!

A growl echoed in his mind and the blue armored man's pupils slit as he sped up. His whisker marks became more profound and his nails grew into short sharp claws.

Almost there...He thought as the train blared its horn once again.

"I'm sorry for doing this!" Yukie cried, slightly distracting him, "I...I'm sorry I acted so cowardly, Father!"

Called it, Naruto thought smugly before a small smile crossed his face, I knew it was you, Koyuki-hime...Hard to forget the face of the princess you defend, after all...

"We'll make it, Koyuki-chan," Naruto whispered soothingly, his words not making it past the sound of the ominous horn echoing in the cave, but his tone reached the Yuki Daimyo's daughter's ears all the same and her fears were slightly brushed aside. "I promised to protect you with my life...and I always keep my promises. For that is my Nindo: My Ninja Way!"

He shouted the last part as he kicked himself into overdrive, speeding through the tunnel and past the awaiting camera crew that parked themselves just outside the entrance.

"Tell me you got that line!" the writer begged the sound man, earning a nod of confirmation from the audio specialist, and the writer squealed in joy, "This will be Cinema Gold!"

Naruto skidded to a stop on the tracks and about-faced as the train's headlights became visible. He dropped Koyuki/Yukie onto her butt in the snow and put his shield back in place on his back. The blue armored Super Shinobi began racing through hand seals before throwing his hands out before him and exclaiming, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Exploding from his outstretched hands were massive winds that collided with the ice wall forming the top of the tunnel's entrance/exit. With a grin on his face, Naruto watched as the ice boulders fell and trapped the train in the tunnel. Staying in a position to be sure the train wouldn't bust through, Naruto eventually relaxed after staring at the makeshift barrier for about three minutes.

"That...was...AMAZING!" The director shouted from his spot next to the cameraman, "Did we get it?"

"We got it, sir," the cameraman sighed in relief, "We got all of it...thank Kami..."

"Naruto-sama/Cap'n/Captain Naruto!" the Konoha shinobi all cried as they approached the blue armored shinobi. Naruto looked over and gave them a thumbs-up before turning to help Koyuki/Yukie back to her feet.

"T-Thank you, Captain-san," the actress whispered as he helped her up and lightly dusted her shoulders off.

"Anytime, Yuki-chan," the shinobi replied with a smile. Before the celebrations could commence, however, a large explosion from the side of the tunnel reached their ears. Naruto and the rest of the Konoha shinobi all looked to see a now smoking pillar coming from the tunnel's side and roof, a large mechanical device rising from it.

"Attention, Captain Konoha," a voice that made Yukie/Koyuki cower behind the armored shinobi with fear and made said armored shinobi growl angrily as he reached for his shield, "This is Kazehana Doto, Daimyo of Yuki no Kuni. I demand that you surrender Kazehana Koyuki over immediately and surrender yourself. If you meet these demands, no one else will be hurt."

"That lying sack of-" Naruto was cut off by Doto's voice, "Furthermore, I give you ten seconds to comply. One...Two..."

"Ten!" the blue-eyed Super Shinobi shouted, flinging his shield into the air, aimed at the ropes that connected to the large inflate keeping the machine airborne. Two small cylinders emerged from the side facing Naruto's shield and began firing a barrage of kunai at the blonde as well as the approaching shield. Naruto quickly raced through some hand seals and extended his hands once again.

"Wind Style: Control!" he exclaimed, a small pulse rippling through the air from his hands that halted the kunai in their flight. Slowly, the kunai began about facing and fired themselves back at the machine from whence they came, the shield belonging to the Konohagakure no Taichou leading the way. The kunai began plugging the tubes they emerged from while the shield struck the aircraft, knocking a single strand that attached to the balloon keeping it airborne out of commission.

Before Naruto could focus on taking the machine down, a shriek of terror reached his ears and he turned to see Koyuki being carried away by the flying Yukigakure kunoichi. Only one word ran through his mind as he saw this.

Shit!

~~Flashback 12 years ago~~

"Hold on to Yuki-chan, Cap!" the white-haired young man shouted as he shot down the side of a snow-covered mountain at an alarming rate. He wore a black mask over the lower half of his face, revealing a right chocolate brown eye and a left scarred red-eye with two tomoes within it. His attire was that of the standard Konoha ANBU winter uniform; a black long-sleeved shirt with a scarf wrapped around his neck that fell over the standard grey chest plate as well as black shinobi slacks and sandals. He rode on the back of his sled, which carried two other passengers, as they shot down a mountain while arrows fired after them.

"It's gonna be alright Yuki-chan!" The Captain shouted over the whistles of arrows following them. The blonde's armor was covered in burns and melted spots due to the acid and poison-tipped arrows being shot at them. He kept his shield positioned over the young Princess of Yuki no Kuni while occasionally looking over his shoulder and deflecting the arrows with his wind manipulation. He narrowed his eyes at the armored archer shooting arrows at them. The white armor decorated with occasional grey splotches did well to conceal his position...when he wasn't moving, that is. The Archer had dark hair and coal-black eyes, only visible to those gifted with amazing eyesight due to the speed of his descent on his skis.

"Just hand her over!" The Archer shouted, his voice revealing his irritation at the situation, "Give me the Princess and no one has to die today!"

"You can take your offer, and shove it up your ass!" The Captain shouted back, ducking as an arrow whizzed over his head's previous position. Now completely pissed off, the blue armored warrior looked at the white-haired student of his brother and said, "Get Koyuki-sama to safety, Dog!"

"What?" he replied, his eyes widening while the girl in the sled shut her eyes as the blonde shinobi leaped from the sled. 'Dog' looked over his shoulder, shouting, "CAPTAIN! NO!"

The Captain looked at the receding form of his younger friend and nodded grimly before turning around and hooking his shield back into its slot on his left arm. He cocked his arm back just as The Archer became larger than an ant. As the white chakra armored foe began approaching, he swung his shield and slammed the edge into The Archer's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and the man off his skis.

"You'll...You'll pay for that, Captain Konoha," he coughed out as he slowly got to his feet. The Captain narrowed his eyes and walked towards him, readying a punch with his left hand, when the Archer looked up and held his palm out.

"Ice Release: Secret Freezing Technique!" The Archer shouted, causing an immense gust of ice and snow to cover the blue armored man. The Captain lifted his shield to defend himself, only just to allow his current foe to deliver a powerful kick to his stomach, causing the blue armored shinobi to slide on his back down the mountain.

"I'll see you in Hell, Captain!" The Archer laughed out as he formed another pair of skis with his Ice Release, "Give the Shinigami the regards of the Patient Winter!"

Captain Konoha opened his mouth to reply vulgarly, only to release a cry of pain when his head connected with a rock and he began slipping into unconsciousness. As the numbing cold started to get past his unusually strong healing abilities, one Namikaze Naruto aka Captain Konoha could only think, _'I'm sorry, Tsume-chan...I won't be home as soon as I thought…'_

~~Present~~

"You son of a bitch, Doto!" Naruto roared as he ran after the princess being hauled up to the blimp that was attacking them. The blue armored super shinobi caught his returning shield just before leaping after the captured princess of Yuki no Kuni. He barely managed to grasp her ankle, causing her to scream in shock.

"Easy!" the helmeted shinobi shouted when she kicked at him, "I'm on your side, remember?"

"Then stop climbing all over me!" Koyuki shouted back.

"It's either me climbing on you, or your uncle!" the armored shinobi shouted as he grabbed her arm as lightly as he could and hoisted himself up to grab the rope wrapped around her, "Now don't move!"

"Believe me, I won't!" the princess shouted back as Naruto dropped a shuriken into his hand and used the edge of it as he started to cut her loose. The princess's breathing increased at the proximity of the armored shinobi and her face flushed as his hand accidentally grazed against her breast.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered, his face a slight shade of red as he started to cut the princess free. Just before the last rope was cut, an arrow was embedded in his shoulder and the blue-eyed shinobi roared in pain, his eyes flashing red for the briefest of moments. The shock of the pain made him release his hold on the princess and he started to fall before a metallic cable shot out and wrapped around his ankle.

"Ugh," the blonde groaned as he was hauled up and onto the aircraft, his wound bleeding profoundly and his healing factor working hard to keep him conscious and to a lesser point, alive. He did see his shield fall from his back to the ground and the small figure that ran towards it. A memory flashed through his mind and tears filled his eyes.

~~Flashback~~

"Tousan!" a small girl with brown hair and two red fang marks on her cheeks cried in joy as she ran towards the blue armored blonde that smiled as he put his helmet under his arm and crouched down to catch her.

"Hana-chan!" the blonde shouted as he caught her in his arms and stood, tossing the girl into the air and catching her in a hug. Hana squealed in glee before laughing happily as the blonde rubbed his cheek against hers. Naruto smiled as he heard the five-year-old Inuzuka's cheerful voice again.

"Miss-sed you, Tousan!" Hana exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck, before frowning at him, "Why leaf me n' momma?"

"I don't mean to, Hana-chan," Naruto replied to the girl with a small smile, "But as a Commander of Konoha, I have to do all I can to keep the village safe."

"You aw-ways come back dough, right?" Hana asked while looking at the slightly saddened blue eyes that belonged to the man she thought of as a second father. Naruto walked further onto the Inuzuka clan grounds and stopped outside Hana's home, setting the girl on her feet and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'll always try and come back for you, Hana-chan," Naruto whispered with a small smile, "You and your mother are all I have. I'll do anything to come back for you."

"Otway," the girl replied just as quietly before giving him a hopeful smile, "Can I pay wif your shield?"

"Of course you can!" Naruto replied with a big grin and reached over his back to take his shield off, carefully doing so while removing his hidden weapons pouch hidden on the underside of the shield, "Now, can you hold it?"

"Couse! I's supa strong!" the young Inuzuka heiress cried before struggling to lift the shield and making the blonde laugh.

"Looks like you've got a long way to go before you can use my shield," Naruto said with a smile before he took it back and snickered at the pout on her face, "Now, now, let's go eat, Hana-chan."

~~Present~~

"Wake up!" a male voice cried as a hand slapped across the Captain's face. Naruto groaned before looking down at his assaulter, seeing the Yukigakure shinobi that had attacked Kakashi's squad standing before him while he was chained to the wall of what seemed to be a frozen cell.

"Ugh..." the blonde groaned before a fist embedded itself in his gut and he released a grunt of pain, "Wh-What the hell?"

"You haven't aged at all," a familiar voice said to him, making Naruto looked up and scowling as the white armored Archer that had caused him to be frozen stood before him, only his goggles and helmet that hid his identity were off, allowing Naruto to see who was the Patient Winter.

"Doto...y-You're the...?" the blonde struggled to get out before coughing as the blood clot formed by his healing factor shot out through his mouth, expelling the poison that was along with the arrowhead that hit his shoulder. Doto stepped back as the small bubble of blackish-red liquid landed where his foot once was.

"Charming," the armored ruler of Yuki no Kuni deadpanned before looking back up at the blonde glaring holes into his head, "Oh, come now Captain. We've come full circle! You could at least try and die with dignity."

"You can bite me!" Naruto spat, his eyes narrowed as he struggled against his binds, "These won't hold me here, and you won't win!"

"Yes, yes, keep telling yourself that," Doto said with a slight yawn as he snapped his right fingers. With a smirk, he turned to allow the blonde to see who walked in at the cue. Standing with new royal clothes, Koyuki Kazehana stared at the floor with defeat written on her features before looking up at the disbelieving face of Captain Konoha.

"W-What...?" Naruto started, failing to discover any logical reason for this development.

"Ah, yes. You cannot fully understand this outcome as you believe in everyone always doing the right thing because you're the Will of Fire in human form," Doto chuckled out before sighing and looking at Koyuki, "It seems my niece is the lucky first to disappoint the 'Golden Boy' of Konoha. Well, let me explain my lovely niece's reason for submitting, which is simple really: She knew that I would win...I always win."

"You're nothing but a monster," the blonde growled, "You killed her father, your own brother for kami's sake! What humane being would do that?"

"The same humane being that would do business with the man that created you, Captain!" Doto snapped back, making the blonde's eyes glow red as he struggled against his bindings. The Yukigakure shinobi took a defensive stance and Koyuki stepped back with a hand over her mouth as Naruto's features darkened.

"WHERE IS HE?" Naruto roared, "I DEMAND YOU TELL ME!"

"Seeing as you're about to die, anyway," Doto chuckled out, "I'll humor your last requests."

Naruto growled in irritation at the man that cost him a good portion of his life while fiddling with the chains over his head. They were loose and he was close to breaking the cuffs. He just had to keep the Fuyu no Shashu distracted long enough.

"He's started his own village," Doto said, snapping the blonde from his thoughts of escape, "In the land of rice patties...or should I say, the land of Sound? He calls it: Otogakure no Sato."

Naruto narrowed his eyes before assessing the area. On the far right in the corner of the cell on the floor was his helmet and other weapons, while the three Yukigakure shinobi were standing behind Doto, in a triangular defensive pattern in front of Koyuki. Doto's bow and arrows were on his back and would take about fifteen seconds for him to draw and load an arrow if the blonde's calculations were correct. The Yukigakure shinobi relied on their chakra armor too much, so his taijutsu would be enough to put them down. Koyuki was the closest to the door so she could easily slip out as soon as he moves.

"Shall I send an invitation to him for your burial?" Naruto heard Doto ask as he looked at the princess with a silent warning. Koyuki blinked before nodding slightly and taking a step back. The blonde looked back at the current leader of Yuki no Sato.

"Doto..." Naruto started with a small scowl, "I'm going to beat that smug smile off your ugly face, put Koyuki on your goddamn throne, and then piss all over your grave."

Doto laughed and smirked, "That's a very good plan you have, Captain...except for one thing."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto countered, lightly tugging on his chains, "What?"

"This," Doto said as he lifted a small device and pressing a button. Naruto felt electricity course through his body beginning at his stomach before he violently convulsed. The blonde hero's cries of pain made Koyuki step out of the cell and cover her ears as tears began to fall. Doto smirked and looked at the convulsing blonde with a very faux sympathetic look.

"I'd love to stay and reminisce, but I have a weapon of mass destruction to use," Doto said, lifting his other hand and revealing the green gem that was once around Koyuki's neck, making Naruto's eyes widen as the convulsions die down.

Doto turned and gave the device to the larger Yuki Shinobi while leaving the cell with the other two, the girl turning back and giving Naruto a flirty wink as she left. Naruto scowled back at her before he began to convulse again.

"Come on!" Hana shouted as she led her brother and his team down a corridor of the large fortress they were in. She had the Konohagakure no Taichou's shield on her left arm, a warm feeling in her chest as she held it, and her three dogs barked wildly as they ran through the halls. Kiba ran behind her, his small white puppy running alongside him as they raced for the main hall.

"Kiba, Hana," Kakashi shouted, "You find Cap! Sakura, Sasuke, with me! We'll find Koyuki!"

"Hai sensei/Kakashi-san!" the four replied, the two siblings breaking off to the right and following the scent of their village's legendary hero. When they were fifteen feet away from the separation point, Kiba looked to his older sister.

"Hey Sis?" he asked, "Why are you wearing his shield like that?"

"I...You wouldn't understand, Kiba," Hana replied while asking herself the same question. Something...warm came over her whenever she thought of the blonde and when she picked the shield up, a small memory hit her. A man she called father played with her, pushing her on a swing set, training with her, giving her the Haimaru Trio and a voice echoed, "You and your mother are all I have; I'll do anything to stay with you."

'_Why do I think of Captain-san's voice whenever I think of that?'_ Hana asked herself. She shook the thoughts from her mind and focused on the mission at hand. She ran after the Haimarus as they suddenly made a sharp left, causing her and Kiba to slip while Akamaru ran past them, yipping wildly.

The smell of burning flesh hit the two Inuzuka heirs' noses and they pushed chakra into their limbs, speeding their movements by at least five percent. The Inuzuka came to a stop before the doors that were shut, looking worn down and nearly broken. Kiba growled as the scent hit him again and he drove his shoulder into the door, causing it to fall to the ground. The Haimarus ran past the downed boy, snarling and barking in a violent matter before darting to the right.

"H-Hey! What the- Oh shit! Get off! Get off! Get aaaaaahhh! Help me! For the love of Kami! Help me!" the rotund shinobi cried as Hana and Kiba walked into the cell to see the Haimarus mercilessly tearing his chakra armor off and biting into his flesh.

"Heel!" Hana shouted, surprised when the three didn't listen. She looked past the vicious dog attack and saw a lightly convulsing Captain hanging from the wall. She moved past the dogs, wondering why they would so quickly attack the enemy and then ignore her command to stop.

"Ha-Ha-Ha-Hana-ch-ch-ch-chan," Naruto sputtered out as the Inuzuka veterinarian began removing the already loose cuffs from his wrists.

"Kiba!" Hana barked to her brother, "Get over here and help me get him down!"

"Right!" Kiba replied before kicking the downed man once as he passed, "Oops...my bad."

"HH-Ha-Hai-m-m-Haimar-Haimarus!" Naruto struggled to bark out, "C-Ch-Check!"

As though someone said 'Steak', the three dogs immediately broke the attack and sat back at attention. Hana stopped fiddling with the chains for the moment as she looked with amazement at the control he had over her dogs before she resumed helping her little brother get the man down.

As soon as the cuffs were off, Naruto fell forward and his face hit the ground with a thud. Kiba and Hana winced and apologized, "Sorry..."

"I-I'm o-ok," Captain sputtered out as he pushed himself to his feet, "Y-Your dogs are disobedient...Less steak."

"Damn right," Hana muttered as the three hung their head and their wagging tails stopped. She went to the blue armored shinobi's side before helping him to his feet while also running a small diagnostic technique she knew.

"You've got several internal burns and a...is that a chakra armor?" She asked noticing the machine on his stomach. Naruto glanced down and scowled before grabbing it with his right hand.

"Come on..." he growled, his eyes flashing red, "GET OFF!"

With a roar, he ripped the restrictor from his stomach and panted heavily while falling to his knees. Hana went to his side and checked him again, blinking in surprise as the internal burns began healing at an immense rate while the visual burns began vanishing in steam. She then followed his drifting eyes to the shield on her arm and she blushed slightly before offering him the weapon.

Naruto smiled and lightly took the offered weapon, "You've got a long way to go before you can use my shield."

Hana froze after he said that while Kiba walked up to Naruto's right as he placed his shield on his left arm.

"Here's your helmet, Captain-sensei," Kiba said with a grin, "Those jerks barely scuffed it."

"Well, aren't I lucky?" the blonde shot back with a grin nearly as large and making the heiress watching widen her eyes at the similarity between their smiles. Naruto pulled his helmet on and strapped it under his chin before looking back at Hana with a serious face.

"Where's Kakashi?" he asked. Hana blinked before looking at the Haimarus.

"Lead us to Kakashi-san!" she ordered. The dogs tilted their heads up and took a sniff of the air before one barked and dashed through the cell door. Kiba and Akamaru shot after the running Haimaru Trio, but before Hana left, she saw Naruto walk over to the nearly-dead shinobi that had been torturing him. He knelt next to the man, earning whimpers from him, and whispered something before dislodging his shield from his arm and holding an edge in either hand.

"May kami spare your soul," Naruto quietly said before lifting his shield and driving the edge through the man's neck, severing it and killing the man quickly. Hana gasped and covered her mouth despite being a seasoned chunin, but never had she seen a Konoha shinobi that was so calm during a killing.

Naruto stood and shook his shield once, cleaning it of the blood, before he reattached it to his arm. The blonde looked at Hana, back to the body, and back to the wide-eyed veterinarian before speaking and making her jump, "Inuzuka dogs, when under control, are never that vicious. However...the Haimarus were...unsettled by my torture, as is any dog when a human ally is being harmed in a way I was."

"But...I...I never..." Hana sputtered out. Naruto placed his right arm on her shoulder and led her out of the room.

"They were lost to their instincts, Hana-chan," he whispered in a comforting manner while pulling her into a one-armed hug as they left the cell, "You couldn't have foreseen them doing that. It was out of your hands."

"Y-Yeah..." Hana muttered while shaking the nerves off, "S-Sorry about that, Captain-san."

"It's ok," The Captain replied with a smile, "Now, let's go save Koyuki!"


	3. Chapter 3

~~Flashback~~

"Passing Fang!" a man cried as he brutally assaulted the Iwagakure shinobi squad that had infiltrated his camp with his clan's signature taijutsu-ninjutsu technique. The squad all were sent to their backs in an effort to avoid the rapidly spinning Konoha nin, all for naught as he connected with the dirt, creating a large impact zone that he easily recovered from. He stood at five foot nine, making him of average height, but his shoulders were nearly two and a half feet in width, giving him a brawny build. He had a blue mark over his left eye, marking him as a second den (1) clansman, his hair was short and a light brown, similar to that of his cousin Rin's, and he had the obviously lacking feral pupils that his clan was known for. This was Inuzuka Kiba (2), (recently) ex-boyfriend to the Inuzuka matriarch, Inuzuka Tsume.

"Get down Kiba!" a familiar voice cried to the man, making the chunin drop to the ground as his commander tossed his shield at the Iwa nin flipping rapidly through hand seals. The shield easily sliced through the man's extended hand, interrupting his attempt at a possibly dangerous assault on the back of the partner-less Inuzuka, and removed the four fingers from their place on his hand.

Kiba shot back to his feet, his brown eyes glinting with annoyance, before looking at the Iwa shinobi cradling his fingerless hand with a scream of pain. With an irritated growl, Kiba pulled a kunai out and sliced the man's throat. It'd been only a week since his partner's death, the reasons behind the large brown dog's demise being unknown and leading the top vet in the area to believe Kiba had purposely killed his partner, and the brash chunin was finding himself at a loss as to how to adjust to his partner-less status.

"Fucking bastard nearly got me," Kiba snarled with an audible hint of disappointment in himself. Naruto sighed, walking to his shield and pulling it from the ground, before facing his teammate and friend.

"Kiba, you need to calm down," the blonde Namikaze said with authority. When the man snarled at him, Naruto narrowed his blue eyes at the man and continued, "Don't give me that look, Kiba. You know I'm on your side. Someone framed you and killed Ookami, I'm leaning towards Oro-teme, but...you know how 'absurd' I can be when it comes to that fucker."

Despite his anger, Kiba let out a small laugh and smiled at his best friend. The Inuzuka slugged the blonde in the shoulder, "Thanks, Dobe."

The two stood in comfortable silence before Kiba broke it once again, "She hates me."

"Who, Tsume-chan? Nah, she loves you just as much as you love her," Naruto dismissed with a wave of his hand, "Told me so herself."

"...What do you think of her?" Kiba asked getting wide eyes from the blonde.

"Dude! So the Clan Council shot down your courting or whatever, it's not like you're not gonna propose again," Naruto scoffed at the Inuzuka as he shook his head, "You're acting like you're gonna die."

"You're avoiding the question...you see her as mate material then," Kiba said, smirking at the blonde. Naruto's face turned red from embarrassment and he lightly slugged the man in the arm.

"You...Just shut up, Dog-breath," the blonde grumbled before grinning, "So I like her; so what? She's my friend and I'm fine with that. She's happy with you, I'm happy for you both. You both are my best friends. Hell, Minato and Kushina are both like strangers compared to how close I am to you both."

"...Just promise me something, bro," Kiba said once again, putting Naruto on edge. No one ever asked him to make promises unless something bad was going to happen, or if they thought something bad was going to happen. And with how the Third War was starting, this was one thing he started to despise with a passion.

"Where are they Kiba?" he asked, spinning around in a defensive stance. The second he did so, Kiba shoved Naruto away with all his might, sending the Super-Nin tumbling as an explosion shook the area. Naruto coughed as debris and smoke filled the air. More people suddenly cried out in shock, tents throughout the camp being opened hastily, while Naruto looked back at where his friend stood.

"No..." Naruto softly said, seeing his friend's raggedly breathing form, burned beyond recognition and missing more than forty percent of his right side. The blonde hero rushed to his friend's side, examining the area for threats and finding none. Nothing except the corpse that Kiba...

"S-Sneaky bastards...put explosive tags on...under their armor...I...heard the...tags...before you..." Kiba gasped out. Naruto knelt at his side, grabbing the hand the disgraced Inuzuka offered him.

"It's-It's gonna be ok, Kiba," Naruto whispered, still trying to remain calm, "I'm positive! I know it's gonna hurt, but...M-MEDIC! MEDIC!"

"S-Save the drama, Dobe..." Kiba chuckled out before gasping again. Naruto looked down at Kiba.

"Don't man, don't do this to me..." the blonde pleaded, "Don't talk. You gotta get back to Hana-chan and Tsume-chan...Save your energy. Hana-chan needs you as her step-father. Tsume-chan needs you as a lover, bro...You gotta brag to me, remember?"

"N-Not gonna make it...I...I need...need you to...to promise me...to make her happy...Make Tsume-chan and Hana-chan...happy..." Kiba's words were backed by the pleading eyes of a dying man. Naruto's own eyes were brimming with tears, but he refused to cry and get teased by the 'manlier Inuzuka'.

"Shut up, Kiba, it's gonna be fine!" Naruto exclaimed before looking back at the tents, "MEDIC! I GOT A MAN DOWN! MEDIC! WHERE THE FUCK IS EVERYONE?"

"P-Promise me!" Kiba growled before coughing up blood, "O-On your words..."

"Shut-...If it'll shut you up," Naruto joked with a small smile, his best friend grinning back, "I promise. And I never go back on my word."

"C-Cause it's your...Your ninja way..." Kiba chuckled out before gasping, "Fuck...I...Tell Tsume-chan...I..."

"You tell her yourself, Kiba," Naruto grumbled as the Inuzuka broke into a fit of coughs before looking around, "MEDIC! WHERE'S THAT FUCKING MEDIC?"

When the Medic finally came, along with the superior officer that was his brother's sensei, Jiraiya, they found the young Super Shinobi hugging the corpse of his long-time friend and teammate, apologizing for something over and over again. It took them a good hour to separate the man from his deceased friend.

The next day, Namikaze Naruto took a squad and hunted down the Iwa camp in the area, only one survivor remained and he said one thing that made the Land of Stone fear the Namikaze even more. Naruto used a new technique that day, one that was only at the beginning of use, but it was effective and it helped in giving Captain Konoha a new title, one that drove fear into the shinobi that were put against him: Captain Rasengan.

~~Present~~

"You cannot defeat me, Captain! I am Kazehana Doto! The Patient Winter, and soon, the ruler of the world!" Doto exclaimed as he stood behind a large device, shoving the crystal into it with a maniacal grin on his face. Naruto growled and ran towards him, holding his shield in front of him while Kakashi fought off the only remaining Yuki nin with Kiba's help while Hana healed Sasuke and Sakura.

"You're gonna eat those words, Doto," Naruto growled, lifting his right hand across from his hidden left. As he ran, no one could see the way he was circling his right hand over his lightly clawed left one. Doto smirked and cackled while Koyuki watched from behind her maddened uncle as her hero ran towards certain doom.

"Fool!" Doto exclaimed, lifting his prized bow and drawing back an arrow, "Your courage is overwhelming, but it's outsized by your sheer stupidity!"

Naruto merely growled even more, but once his technique finished forming, the blonde grabbed his shield with his right hand and threw it at the podium, causing Doto to jump and misfire. The shield continued to soar, circling and driving into Doto's back, sending the man down towards the leaping blonde. The Captain narrowed his eyes and brought his left hand back, thrusting it forward only when Doto was a blink away.

"Eat this: RASENGAN!" the sphere of chakra drove into Doto's armor, chipping away rapidly at the thick metal. When the technique hit flesh, Doto's eyes bulged from their sockets and a gasp of pain left his mouth. The only remaining Yuki shinobi (who had surrendered) gaped at the sheer power being sent through his leader, while the Konoha nins and Koyuki merely marveled at the rainbow-like colors being reflected by the technique through the large lighting mirrors.

Doto's stomach had been drilled completely through and Naruto pulled his left arm from the corpse, sending the body flying with a strong dropkick as the blonde Tokubetsu jonin began falling back to the ground. He collided with a loud smack, the snow flying into the air just before it melted along with the rest of the immediate area. Hana's dogs rushed to the falling nin's aid, along with a good portion of the squad.

Kakashi chuckled as he finished tying up the Yuki nin before walking over to an awed Koyuki. Squatting at her side, the man said with an eye smile, "He's a hell of a guy, isn't he, Koyuki-sama?"

"H-Hai, Hatake-san," Koyuki agreed with a blush and a few tears in her eyes as she watched a holographic recording of herself as a young girl. With a blush on her face, the Daimyo-to-be looked at the silver-haired nin, now reading his prized porn with glee, and asked, "Um, Hatake-san? Is he...Is he single?"

~~Time Skip – One Week Later~~

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Konoha, just how I left it!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin as they walked up to the gates of their home. The party of five (plus the four canine companions) was thanked by the village of Yukigakure no Sato as Koyuki became the residing Daimyo. In front of the thousands attending, she also gave Naruto a very thankful kiss and dropped the hint that he would be welcomed to join her for a personal message. Confused by her offer, Naruto politely declined, and the rest of the squad, save for Kakashi, gaped at his dense reply. They left the next day, a blushing Naruto almost being late for their departure.

"Come on, Cap-sama," Kiba whined, "Please tell me what happened between you and Koyuki-sama?"

"Kiba, drop that –sama, crap. I hate suffixes, they make me seem old," the Captian said with a roll of his eyes. His shield was on his back and his helmet was resting on the head of said boy trying to get details of his adventures.

Hana giggled, "You sound like our Kaasan. She says the same thing."

Naruto grinned before recalling the discussion he and Kakashi had. Over the years he had been MIA, Orochimaru went rogue and no one, save for Jiraiya, had seen him since. Only three years after his MIA status, Danzo's ROOT sided with Uchiha Fugaku and several other conspirators against Konoha. They first killed Kushina and her unborn child, followed by executing Sasuke's parents, Rin and Obito, before Minato managed to cut down the rebelling Uchiha with the aid of his own ANBU. Danzo and a few Root managed to escape and fled to Amegakure, and haven't been seen or heard from since. Fugaku managed to kill Minato with a self-sacrificing technique.

The blonde warrior had cussed up a storm when Kakashi finished, fighting the tears back as he almost destroyed the hull of the boat that they had rented. Naruto needed to have words with the surviving Uchiha, as well as the Hokage before he hunted the War-Hawk down.

"Maa, leave Captain-sensei alone, Kiba," Kakashi lazily drawled out, "He's got enough on his mind as it is..."

The two chunin guards almost always seen at the gate, Izumo, and Kotetsu, greeted Kakashi, the Inuzuka, Sasuke, and Sakura warmly and a small joke about Kakashi's tardiness. When Naruto stepped up, they froze and gaped. Naruto took his helmet from Kiba's head and placed it on his own, making the two chunin lose the feeling in their jaws as they slammed through the wood desk of the check-point. Kakashi had to fight back laughter at the chunin's astonished faces.

"Tokubetsu Jonin, Namikaze Naruto, returning from an A-Rank mission," he said with a small smile before turning around and facing the trees, "Is that you, Yuugao-chan? You've certainly managed to accomplish your goal, haven't you?"

In a blur, a once concealed ANBU with a cat mask reappeared with her arms around the man's side, hugging him tightly. Kakashi eye smiled at the scene while Hana and Team 7 stared in shock, their faces reflecting Izumo's and Kotetsu's. Naruto laughed, his baritone laughter echoing through the village and making several people pause in whatever they were doing, including one certain clan head during a council meeting.

~Several moments earlier~

Inuzuka Tsume was tired of listening to Haruno Sakuya shriek at the Sandaime about writing up a marriage proposal for Inuzuka-Uchiha Sasuke. The boy was a rarity, having been born of the purest of Uchiha and Inuzuka blood, and he was a popular little runt with the girls if Tsume had observed whenever Kiba and Sasuke would bicker. The two were close enough to be brothers, and Tsume had a good idea as to why.

Like his deceased father, Kiba often came off as loud and often had a grin that would make you wonder if he wasn't planning anything. Sasuke, however, had inherited that Uchiha superiority ever since the Civil War and the Uchiha Massacre that followed a few years after, where Sasuke's older cousin on his father's side had killed Sasuke's Aunt. Kiba also tended to act like Obito, a trait that was no doubt passed on by the young heir's father, and Sasuke must have subconsciously wanted to be near another that radiated utter warmth and kindness.

Tsume smiled sadly as she began reminiscing over her second, scratch that, her real mate/lover's last days in Konoha. They had spent several hours in bed the night before his last mission. She felt her heart clench when she remembered him promising that he'd come back without a single scratch.

"That baka…" Tsume chuckled with a sad smile. She saved her tears for when she was at her home, safe from losing her prideful stance as the 'Toughest Bitch in Konoha', Bitch not being a degrading term to an Inuzuka, unless said in an unfavorable manner.

Then she heard it, the laughter that had echoed in her dreams each night, the warm sound similar to a child's, except sounding deeper and much more mature. It had made her stand instantly just as Kuromaru, her faithful companion and the head of the Inuzuka Dog Clans, leaped over the table and charged the double doors. He skid to a stop and growled when two ANBU stopped him.

"Inuzuka-dono," a civilian sneered, "Please have some sort of control your pet while we're discussing important matters..."

"Shut up!" Kuromaru barked, shocking many in the room. The Head of the Dogs hardly ever spoke, and if he did, it would only be in a tone of boredom or that of a tired warrior merely trying to sleep. Kuromaru then turned back and slowly approached the door, pawing at it while whining (a common sound that further shocked the council), "Come on...Open the door...Open the door..."

"Kuro?" Tsume asked as she stood, the sound of her lover's laughter still echoing in her ear, "What's up?"

The Council all leaned forward, curious at the canine's actions, only to be shocked once again when the ANBU Tora suddenly appeared in the room with a large poof of smoke. Urgently he approached the Sandaime and whispered in his ear, something even the Inuzuka within the room in the room had trouble hearing. The Sandaime's eyes went wide and he stood abruptly pointing at the two ANBU in front of the double doors, "You two, MOVE!"

"Sandaime-sama?" a councilman asked, only to be met with a cold shoulder as the old man let a grin cross over his face while walking around the council and leaving, "Where are you going? We have to discuss what will happen to Sasuke-sama!"

"This meeting is adjourned," Sarutobi said with a smile, "I have a Hero to welcome home. Tsume-san, you may wish to join me..."

With that cryptic offer, the Sandaime Hokage left the council chambers, followed instantly by said council. Tsume leading the group as Kuromaru ran ahead with a renewed sense of (the following word has been trademarked) Youth.

~With Naruto~

"Naruto-sempai!" Yuugao exclaimed with a smile as she cast her mask aside, "You're back! You're alive!"

Naruto chuckled and scratched his head, "Yeah, I guess you could say I am...Man, you look great, Yuugao-chan. If it weren't for the fact I can recognize your chakra signature I would have mistaken you for a guardian angel."

"Aw, sempai!" Yuugao giggled like a schoolgirl as she lightly blushed and stepped back. The sounds of snickering made her blush further and snap her head back to the trees. With an angered glare, she looked back at the grinning Naruto with a sweet smile, "Pardon me, Sempai. I have a few subordinates to deal with."

A wave of despair crossed over the trees behind Team 7 and the genin all turned curiously, failing to find the source. Kakashi, well aware of his former ANBU brethren's fate, waved in sympathy while Hana merely found herself struggling to understand why she disliked seeing one of her friends act so strangely around the infamous hero.

Naruto shook his head at his sister-in-law's favorite student's antics before sensing an approaching chakra signature. Blinking in confusion, the blue armored shinobi barely managed to turn in time to catch the now leaping Kuromaru, who exclaimed with a bark, "You Son-of-a-Bitch!"

The dog and Naruto rolled back over each other, allowing Naruto to maneuver his feet into the pooch's gut and kick him off. He barely managed to get to his knees when the dog attacked, "Passing Fang!"

Naruto used his shield to defend himself, successfully managing to deflect the canine's attack, only to find a fist implanting in his gut. Stumbling backward, Naruto looked up with a smile to see an enraged Inuzuka matriarch growling down at him.

"Hey Tsume-hime," he coughed out, "...I'm back!"

~~Flashback~~

He raised his shield to deflect the onslaught of shuriken flying at him and quickly dropped into a roll to avoid the flying drill-like attack that was aimed at his head. Naruto stopped on his knees and held his shield behind his head, making an oncoming blade clang against it loudly. The helmeted blonde narrowed his eyes as he shoved the blade away, pushing himself to his feet with a smirk.

"So, nee-chan, you're helping Tsu-chan, huh?" Naruto asked as he faced the redheaded Uzumaki smirking at him.

"You sound like you expected it, Oututo," Kushina teased as she attempted a sideswipe with her Uzu no Ishi. Naruto easily blocked the attack with his shield and threw his left leg out to break the Uzumaki's stance. Kushina jumped back before the blonde's foot could connect and tossed three kunai at the blonde.

Naruto lifted his shield to deflect the incoming projectiles, but upon lowering it he found himself being struck in the gut by Tsume's companion and partner, Kuromaru. The blue armored shinobi skid backward from the attack and found himself on the defensive again when the woman he originally was sparring with came at him with her namesake. In the back of his mind, Naruto found this to be out of character for his friend, as was her behavior weeks prior to their spar today. She had avoided him, purposely leaving the room whenever he entered, and constantly gave him a scowl.

For now, he was just happy to be sparring with his friend once again.

"Damn!" the blonde exclaimed, "You are getting better, Tsu-chan."

Tsume didn't reply, keeping her narrowed brown orbs on the smiling blonde in front of her. Though it had been months since Kiba's death, part of Tsume felt that it was Naruto's fault. He was the damn Captain Konoha! She maneuvered around his shield and gripped his free arm, digging her claws in. He should have smelt the tags!

"Tsu-chan? You're...you're hurting me..." Naruto grumbled. Hurting was a bit more than how he actually felt, but the nails were slowly sinking through his rock-hard skin. Tsume's grip tightened and Naruto found himself on his knees.

"Tsume!" Kushina and Kuromaru called out. The young Inuzuka heiress snapped from her thoughts and a look of horror crossed her face as she realized the red liquid covering her hands was blood. Blood of her fallen lover's best friend. The blood of her best friend.

"Tsu-chan...Please let go of my arm..." Naruto asked as he looked at her. The feral woman's mouth opened, but no words came out. Her grip slackened and Naruto's arm fell free. Ten holes, all dark red, glared back at the Inuzuka as she stepped back.

"I..." Despite herself, Tsume found tears falling down her cheeks. She stepped back once more, only to be stopped by a light grip on her left arm. Tsume felt herself being pulled into a hug.

"Tsu-chan...I'm sorry," Naruto whispered as he hugged her, "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough..."

Tsume broke down crying in her friend's arms, the pain and anger finally getting to her and the guilt of being so cross. Kuromaru was at his companion's side, letting her know he was there. The Inuzuka heiress hugged her friend back as she cried, her face buried in his armored chest. Naruto closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her head.

"Tsu-chan, let's go check on Hana-chan, huh?" He quietly suggested when Tsume's sobs became less hysteric. The blonde gave her a smile and released her. The Inuzuka gave a teary smile back and the three left the training ground. A silent aura of forgiveness radiating from them as they headed back towards the Inuzuka compound. Unseen by either of the two, Uzumaki Kushina allowed a smile to come over her face.

'_Step one of Operation: Sister-In-Law, complete...Now to get Step Two in effect,'_ Kushina thought before vanishing in a swirl of water.

~Present~

Naruto rolled backward to avoid a chakra-enhanced ax-kick. He prepared to throw his shield out of habit but was forced to instead leap up as another Tsuuga came at him via Kuromaru. He quickly brought the shield in front of him to defend against an aerial slash.

"YOU BASTARD!" Tsume snarled, her body following her slash through with a heel-dropkick that was parried by the Captain's shield.

"Hey, Minato and I took offense to that years ago, and I still do!" Naruto shot back with a growl as he used his right leg to kick the Inuzuka matriarch in her side. Tsume braced herself for the kick but was not prepared for the push that followed it. The wild-haired woman found herself falling to the ground at an impressive speed, and would have been seriously injured if she didn't use the Kawarimi a second before impact.

"You son of a-Do you know how long it's been?" Kuromaru asked as he charged the landing armored shinobi. Naruto lifted his free arm as Kuromaru leaped at him with an open jaw. The ninken bit down on the armored shinobi, making Naruto cry out in pain.

"Dammit, Kuro!" Naruto snarled as he gripped the top of Kuromaru's muzzle, attempting to force the dog to let go of his arm. His hand's grip over the dog's mouth was tightening and bit-by-bit he pushed the ninken off of his arm. Before the one-eyed dog could regain his hold, Naruto forced him to shut his mouth and tossed him into the wood.

"Tsuuga!" Tsume announced as she ran at the blonde with her clan's signature jutsu. The large drilling force spun rapidly as it raced towards the armored shinobi. Naruto barely moved out of the way and found himself on the run from his lover's attack.

As he ran, Naruto took notice of the large crowd watching him fight for his survival (of either his life or his manhood) and a twitch appeared in the Captain's eye. On his next pass by the crowd, Naruto shouted, "Oh no, don't anyone try and stop Tsu-hime from killing me! I'm just fine, by the way!"

His words seemed to snap the Hokage from his gaze and he looked to the unmasked ANBU, "Ah, Yugao-chan, please do me a favor and have your squad help the Captain."

Yugao's face turned into a grin and she looked at a tree, "You heard Hokage-sama. Restrain the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan."

Three ANBU dropped from the tree, and from the millisecond hesitance to jumping in the fray, Yugao knew this was a much better punishment than what she could ever dish out for laughing at her when she interacted with her sensei's brother-in-law. The small group of three exchanged a look between themselves before they jumped into the chase. One of them, being an Inuzuka, countered the technique with the proper prodding of his sheathed ninja-to. This resulted in Tsume's attack slowly halting before she skid along the dirt ground on her side, before growling at the one that stopped her.

Naruto, on the other hand, stopped dead in his tracks, doubling over to catch his breath. Insane his stamina and endurance maybe, but no amount of either would ever be enough to escape a woman's wrath. There's truth to the wise saying of 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. The helmeted blonde pushed himself upright and quickly turned his body to the left to avoid another tackle attempt from Kuromaru. His impressive arms wrapped around the canine's middle in a tight bear hug, and with a quick squeeze, the dog was blissfully unconscious.

'_Damn, he's heavier than the last time I sparred against him…'_ the Captain mused to himself. He looked up when the sounds of ferocious growling got his attention and sighed at the sight of three ANBU pinning a raging Tsume. Placing his shield on his back, the armored shinobi moved Kuromaru to rest under his arm and walked towards Tsume, who locked her glare on him the second he started his approach.

Naruto carefully set the unconscious partner of the Inuzuka Matriarch down before he removed his helmet and crouched down in front of Tsume, a wry grin on his face, "Always one to follow your emotions, aren't you, Tsu-hime?"

"Don't call me that!" Tsume growled, "You lost your right to call me that a long time ago!"

Naruto's grin fell and his face steeled before he nodded, "As you wish, Tsume-sama. I apologize for speaking out of term to the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan. Your ninken will awaken in an hour, as is the norm."

That said, the blonde stood and walked away from the shocked matriarch. She hadn't expected him to call her anything other than his pet name for her. The fact that he dropped it without much struggle made a pang of hurt go through the clan head's heart.

Naruto put his helmet under his arm and came to a halt in front of the Sandaime, saluting with his right hand as he did those many years ago, "Sandaime-sama. Tokubetsu Jonin, Namikaze Naruto reporting for debriefing concerning the A-class mission of ensuring the protection of one Kazehana Koyuki. I'm sorry that the mission took so long, I had...complications."

Sarutobi chuckled at the blonde's choice of words, stepping forward and clapping his hands on the taller shinobi's shoulders with a grin, "Now, now, Naruto-Kun. You may have these other geezers fooled, but I know you've got a better greeting than that for your Hokage."

Naruto's steeled face fell and a grin popped up before he embraced the man he considered a mentor and grandfather in a relaxed hug. When the broke the blonde gave a nod and said, "It's good to be back, Hiru-Jiji. I need to have a full debriefing and...And I want to see their graves."

Sarutobi's face fell into a saddened sigh and he nodded, "Very well, Naruto-Kun. Who am I to deny your wishes. Come, I will take you the Namikaze grave."

Naruto nodded once again and followed the robed Hokage with barely restrained unease as the crowds of countless civilians whispered amongst themselves. His heightened senses caught the words, but his brain made no connection as he was too focused on the route, knowing he would be making many trips to his brother's and sister's grave. It was when they passed the orphanage did he catch sight of a small girl with a mop of red hair. The resemblance was too uncanny, too suspicious...

Naruto narrowed his eyes and grabbed the Hokage's shoulder, stopping the man. ANBU jumped down and made themselves as the protectors of the Hokage known, but the Hokage and the ANBU knew if he truly wanted to, Naruto could kill them all. The blonde turned the Hokage and his eyes glanced to the girl, the question being unsaid, but heard nonetheless by the shinobi known as 'The Professor'.

Sarutobi sighed and looked to Kakashi, who had taken notice of his sensei's brother's glance and followed it before freezing in shock. He shouldn't have tried to hide her existence from family, but he wanted to ensure she would be safe against Danzo and any others who hated the Yondaime. The next few words had to be spoken carefully, or not only will he lose the trust of his (arguably) strongest shinobi, but he could lose the support of a former ANBU captain.

"I...I wanted to ensure her safety, Naruto," He whispered, looking to the ground, "I...I couldn't bare the thought-"

Naruto interrupted him with an urgent tone, "I want the story after I decide to do anything. You know, however, Minato despised being an orphan, and I wasn't too keen on it either...Especially with what I was chosen to do by Mito-baa-sama."

Sarutobi nodded understandably before looking at the curious face of the girl that watched them stop and talk in the middle of the road. He smiled at her and she gave him a beaming smile back, one that made Naruto smirk as he saw his elder brother and his sister-in-law smiling back in the girl's visage. He looked behind him to the eye-smiling Kakashi and the curious faces of the man's genin team. He was happy to see Hana was looking at her with a furrowed brow, trying to place the familiar features he knew she had either forgotten or had repressed.

"Yue-chan, please bring little Akane-chan over here," The Hokage called to the orphanage's head caretaker. The woman blinked and nodded before tapping the girl on her shoulder and offering her hand. The young girl took it and was happily led towards the Hokage and the handsome man with them.

Naruto couldn't help but smile at her. Her blue eyes were light, much like those of his niisan's, but full of mischief that, along with her red locks, reminded him of his dear nee-chan. Her small white shirt with a red swirling fire reminded him of the village's motto, 'Nothing is stronger than the Will of Fire'. Before Sarutobi could speak, Naruto knelt down before her and gave her a smile.

"Hello there," he greeted, earning a surprised squeak from the girl as she jumped behind the caretaker's legs, peeking out and around to look at the shinobi. Naruto continued undeterred by her shyness, "What's your name?"

"Akane..." she whispered back after a moment. He arched a brow and gestured for her to continue, "U-Uzumaki Akane, niisan."

"Well, it's a mighty pretty name," he said, looking up at the Hokage, "A pretty name, ne Ojisan?"

Sarutobi chuckled, "Hai, Naruto-Kun, a pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Wow, didn't know you liked that sort of thing, Jiji..." Naruto joked and was swatted over the head by the Hokage, making him pout to the girl who was giggling, "Mou, everyone's so mean to me, Akane-chan...Ne, Akane-chan, how old are you?"

Akane shyly lifted one hand and extended all her fingers, "I-I'm five, niisan."

'_Five...that means the revolt wasn't as long ago as Kakashi said...Why did he say three years after my disappearance? For that manner, if that were true, Sasuke would not be hell-bent on killing this Itachi, because he wouldn't have been born. Did Kakashi want me to ask Hiru-Jiji about the revolt?'_ Naruto asked himself before looking at the Hokage, who had tapped him gently.

"Naruto-Kun, perhaps we can talk to Akane-chan later," Sarutobi said, getting a look from the blonde that had 'mischievous doesn't begin to describe how I feel right now' before the blonde looked at Akane again.

"Nah...I think I'd like to talk to her," Naruto said aloud with a grin, "Find out her favorite foods, colors, toys..."

Kakashi, recognizing where the blonde was going with his game, chuckled and asked, "And why would you want to know those things, Cap'n?"

Naruto gave the man a questionable look, "How else am I gonna know what to get her? I can't be a very good guardian if I don't know her, right?"

The word 'guardian' made the little girl step out from behind the caretaker's legs and looked with wide eyes at the blonde kneeling before her. Quietly, she asked, "A-Are you gonna a-adopt me, niisan?"

Naruto arched a brow and replied, "Adopt you? That's a stupid idea..." his words made her hopes fall before he grinned foxily and continued with, "Why would I have to adopt my own niece?"

Akane's head shot up and the girl gave the grinning blonde a look of disbelief. She took one cautious step forward before jumping into the blonde's chest and hugging him tightly. Naruto wrapped his arms around her and lightly brushed her hair as she cried in joy. The blonde shinobi stood with the crying girl still in his arms and looked at the Hokage.

"I'll visit Nii-sama and Nee-chan at another time, Hiru-Jiji," the blonde informed the Hokage, getting a nod of understanding from the man.

"Very well, I'll lead you to the Namikaze estate, Naruto-Kun," the Hokage said, getting a nod from the Taichou. Naruto and Sarutobi continued onward, the personal guards of the Hokage vanishing from view once again before the civilians burst into conversations.

"Namikaze estate?"

"Blonde hair, is it the Yondaime reborn?"

"Fool! That was Yondaime's brother!"

"The Yondaime had a brother?"

"Who cares, he's just as hot!"

"...Right. Anyway, didn't you read the history books?"

"Wait, that was the Captain Konoha?"

"HE'S ALIVE!"

As chaos erupted in the streets, Kakashi chuckled amongst himself and turned to his students, "Well, it seems we're going to be preparing for a festival...Sasuke, I want you, Kiba and Sakura to return home and unpack."

"Where are you going, sensei?" Sakura asked curiously as the white-haired man left to follow the man he considered an older brother.

"I'm going to help Cap get Akane-chan settled in," the man replied casually, "It's not every day you get to help the Captain, ya know."

Hana, however, had other plans. Mainly, she was going to confront her mother immediately about why she had attacked the Taichou. And why the blonde man looked so much like Kiba. And why the hell did he know so much about her (Hana's) past?

"Kaasan!" Hana called to the matriarch as she walked towards their compound. The matriarch looked up and sighed as she rubbed her head. This wasn't going to be easy to explain...

"What do you think, Akane-chan?" Naruto asked the girl quietly as he carried her into the Namikaze estate, "Big enough for us?"

Akane giggled and nodded her head, already coming out of the shell she had been in minutes before. Her cheeks were lightly stained red and her eyes were bloodshot from crying out of joy. She was hugging the blonde around the neck, quietly observing the entrance to the home. The first thing that had gotten her attention was a picture of three people, one being the one that held her in his arms now, but the two were sort of strangers.

She lightly tugged on Naruto's shirt to get his attention, before pointing at the picture, "Ne, Naru-oji...who're they?"

Naruto looked at the picture and a sad smile came over his face. It was the photo of Minato, Kushina, and himself just before they went off to fight in the third war for the first time. Kushina was hugging both brothers around their necks, while Minato had a closer stance to the Uzumaki, Naruto was holding two fingers up behind the woman's head. He remembered the smack he got for that.

"Naru-oji?" Akane's voice made Naruto return from his trip down memory lane before he grabbed the picture and showed it to her.

"Akane-chan, in this picture, are the strongest shinobi of Konoha," he said a bit smugly, before continuing, "Me, the Captain Konoha. Uzumaki Kushina, the woman, was known as the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. She had a mean temper and was ferociously strong when it was triggered. Next to her is my brother, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Akane, those two are your parents."

Akane's eyes widened and she reached out to put her hand on the photograph's frame, tears coming from the corners of her eyes. Naruto smiled at her and set the photo down to properly hug the child currently overwhelmed by happiness. He was going to enjoy the peace while it lasted because he had a gut feeling that something was going to happen...and it was going to happen soon


	4. Chapter 4

~~Flashback~~

The doors to the Hokage's office were kicked open and Namikaze Minato was sure that if he looked up, he would see one of two things: Either his pissed off girlfriend or his bored and irritated brother.

Personally, he was hoping for the former.

"Nii-sama~!" Naruto sang out as he entered the office, making the Forth groan loudly and smack his head on the desk, "I want a mission!"

"Naruto, you just got back from one in Kumo," Minato sighed out as he rubbed his forehead, "And E sent me the damages..."

"First of all, E-sama is just as at fault as I am when it comes to the broken wall in his office," Naruto said with an extended finger, before pointing with said finger at his brother, "And secondly, that mission was three months ago!"

Minato blinked and rubbed his eyes, "No, you returned yesterday morning..."

"From a spar with Obito and Kakashi," Naruto finished with a roll of his eyes, "You wanted me to assess them and see if they were ready for ANBU, which I gave the go-ahead but you declined, preferring that they had received a bit more missions of a higher caliber."

The Forth frowned and cupped his chin, "Oh yeah...I did say that yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did," Naruto agreed with a nod as he crossed his arms, "So gimme a mission!"

"You'd think one like the Great Captain Konoha would at least give his elder brother some respect," Minato growled out as he glared at the smirking blonde standing across from him, "Why not go find Jiraiya-sensei?"

Naruto snorted, "And get chased by women after I find him, thanks but I'll leave that to you, Ero-nii-sama."

Minato's eye ticked, "You and Kushi-chan will never let me live that down..."

"The price of being well known and very fast, dear brother o' mine," replied the Captain with a smirk before he fell on his knees, "Come on, Nii-sama! Give me a mission, I'm going nuts in here...Oh, I know, why don't I find out what the ROOT is up to! Please? It's so fun pissing Danzo-teme off."

"Hell no!" Minato snapped back, making Naruto pout. The elder brother sat and recomposed himself before sternly talking to the blonde, "The last time I had you 'spy' on Danzo, I nearly lost three ANBU squads trying to restrain that...thing."

Naruto frowned and gave his brother a pointed look as he stood, "That thing is just as alive as you or I, Nii-sama. Danzo had no right torturing it and trying to understand what it was without your consent."

Minato crossed his arms and leaned back, "Suppose you're right. That thing...whatever it is...Is now loose because of your interference and I had to scrap the entire up ROOT mission."

"I stand by my decision, Nii-sama," Naruto replied before muttering under his breath, "Though I should probably track it down so I'm sure it doesn't hurt anyone..."

"What was that?" Minato asked his brother, who only smiled dumbly. The Forth eyed his brother before sighing and interlacing his fingers, "Fine. You want a mission, the Kazekage has requested one of our top sealers go and investigate the Ichibi Pot to see how the seal is holding up."

A growl in the back of Naruto's mind made the blonde roll his eyes before he spoke, "Fuzz-ball says that the Ichibi's proper name is Shukaku."

Minato frowned, "How long has he been talking to you, is Mito-baa-sama's seal weakening?"

A scowl crossed his brother's face and the younger blonde pressed a fist onto the desk before he spoke, "The seal is fine. Part of the reason for that mission was to learn more about my status. Like I said about that thing, Kurama is a living entity."

"You cannot trust Kitsune," Minato pointed out with a frown, "They're tricksters."

"Then you cannot trust Jinchuriki," Naruto snapped back at his brother before walking to the door. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the wincing Forth, "They're unstable. I'll see to the Pot. See ya in a few weeks, Nii-sama."

Naruto left and slammed the door behind him, making Minato groan and pinch the bridge of his nose. He stopped and looked at a picture on his desk with a frown. On it was a redheaded woman standing behind a younger Naruto and Minato, before they went to Uzuoshigakure no Sato to transfer the Kyuubi into the younger brother. Naruto had his normal beaming smile whereas Minato had a smaller one gracing his face, both of them being no older than three. Mito had a small smile much like Minato's, but the mischief glistening in her eyes was much like his younger brother's.

'_Dammit, Baa-sama…' _Minato thought as he put his head in his hands, _'You said he'd be cut off from the fox...Why didn't you ever clarify over it being good or bad? We might not be at each other's throats if I knew what you really thought…'_

~Present~

"Could you please repeat yourself, Naruto-Kun?" Sarutobi asked with a frown, "You want me to do what?"

"I want you to release all of Nii-sama's and Neechan's belongings to me, and I want Akane-chan's legal name changed to Namikaze," Naruto pointed out with a frown on his face, "I have nothing against Neechan's clan name, but Akane has no need to be protected now that I'm back."

"The other villages aren't aware of your return yet," the Sandaime pointed out, "And your brother's instructions strictly say to keep hold of his scrolls concerning the Hirashin because he doesn't want anyone to-"

"I'd never say I was going to try and replicate it," Naruto grumbled with crossed arms, "I tried that years ago and got nowhere fast. The Hirashin's notes need to be destroyed if we want to ensure no one is to ever use it."

"You intend, to destroy the very jutsu that won us the war?" Sarutobi sputtered out in disbelief, "Are you mad?"

Naruto scowled and started ticking off fingers, "First of all, hell no! I'm perfectly sane. Secondly, Nii-sama made that jutsu out of years of studying and researching Fuinjutsu with Ero-Sennin. I'm certain, no, positive that even if I could get my head around one one-thousandth of the formula, I'd never figure it out in less than ten years. No one else will ever get it. And Finally, what am I, chopped liver? Killer Bee would've trampled the seventh squad without me, and E-sama would have crushed Nii-sama if Kushi-nee-chan wasn't there. So save that 'war-winning technique' crap to one of the kiddies at the academy."

Naruto finished listing his reasons and crossed his arms, "Did I miss anything or do you want to keep trying to keep me and Akane-chan from our family scrolls. I could, if I so wanted, just take them, God of Shinobi..."

Hiruzen scowled and lifted an open hand to keep his ANBU at bay. He was known as the God of Shinobi due to an all-out Kage brawl that had engulfed a small section of the continent in the Second Shinobi World War, but that was back when he was in the prime of his life. Standing before him could be the next God of Shinobi if he so wanted to be called that, and the fact that the man before him had a good forty years on him only made the prod feel worse.

The Sandaime lowered his hand and sighed heavily before looking at the blonde, "You do realize the hell this will bring forward in a council meeting?"

"As would the hell concerning a Hyuuga's taijutsu secrets being released," Naruto countered with a smirk as Sarutobi hung his head, "I know this village's dirty secrets old man, why do you think I was in charge of ANBU during Nii-sama's reign?"

"Kushina was," Sarutobi corrected, getting a snicker from the blonde.

"Nee-chan might have been after my disappearance, but she was my cover," he said with a smirk, "My face is too well known as a nice guy, so if I was listed as the ANBU head, everyone would be pestering me to join ANBU or to train so and so. No one would dare try and bother Nee-chan with that crap."

"...You're smarter than I thought, Naruto-Kun," Sarutobi chuckled out after he let the blonde's words sink in. He sighed heavily before nodding, "Rationally, you are right. I suppose that having a technique in storage that no one could figure out is the equivalent to handing said technique to our enemies on a silver platter."

'_So is the way of the ninja; If you want it and don't have it, Steal it,'_ Naruto thought with a smirk before he calmed himself and nodded, "Thank you, Hiru-Jiji. Now, Akane-chan is getting out of the Academy shortly and I promised I would walk her home."

"I still can't believe you had her enrolled at such a young age," Sarutobi said with a sigh, "Then again, you and her parents did fine starting so young...as did Kakashi."

"Damn right," Naruto said with a grin as he turned and walked away, "See ya later, Hokage-Jiji. Oh, and think about what I said concerning the Chunin Exams!"

Naruto walked through the village with his hands behind his head, inadvertently making his midsection seem slimmer and his arms larger, which would explain the staring and drooling females watching him as he strolled. His armor was back at the Namikaze estate, hung in its normal case within his room, and he was dressed in a tight white T-shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on both shoulders. He wore the normal shinobi slacks but had forgone the normal tape that most used.

"Cap'n-sama!" Naruto turned to find the owner of the voice that called him and smiled at the approaching pinkette, lowering his arms and nodding as she approached.

"Hey Sakura-chan," he greeted with a smile, making the girl blush at the title from an older man, "You seem in a hurry, what's wrong?"

Shaking her blush from her face, Sakura donned a worried look, "Kiba-baka is scuffling with a Suna nin in the alley. I tried to-."

"Say no more," Naruto instructed with a nod before lightly ruffling her hair, "You did right going to find a superior officer when it pertains to a foreign shinobi. I'll require you to go pick up Akane-chan from the academy in my stead-."

"That's why they're fighting though," Sakura interrupted with a frown, freezing the blonde in his place, "Apparently, Akane-chan had run into the Suna nin when she was trying to go home, he had threatened her and Kiba and I stumbled upon the scene. Kiba Kawarimi-ed with her and head-butted the shinobi-."

"Which. Alley?" Naruto growled out, frightening the genin into silence. Nodding his thanks, Naruto vanished in a blur, leaving a sweating pinkette to fall to her knees from the Killer Intent the blonde released.

* * *

"Kiba-nii-chan! Please stop!" Akane cried from her spot near the entrance to the alley hugging the growling white puppy. She had tried to wait for Naruto-oji, she really did, but she wanted to hear more stories about her tousan and kaasan. Her impatience had gotten the better of her and she tried to remember the path her Oji took to get her to the Academy. She got lost and in her fear, she tried to double back to the Academy in a hurry.

Then she ran into the makeup boy and things went downhill.

"Kankuro no baka!" the blonde girl wearing a periwinkle dress scolded from the opposite side of the scuffle, "he won't like seeing you fight! Stop before-!"

"Kiba, Heel!" a man's voice called into the alleyway, making everything stop. The angered heir to the Inuzuka clan froze and jumped away from his opponent, standing at attention with his back parallel to the fence. Kankuro, the opponent, fell to the ground and rubbed his nose, preparing to shout at the dog ninja before he froze at the sight of the newcomer.

He was, for lack of any better words, big. Not big as in 'fat', but big as in 'build like a brick house'. The guy looked like he benched mountains! Ok, maybe not mountains but he sure as hell benched more than the puppeteer did. Kankuro looked back to his sister for help, only to feel his jaw drop at the hearts in her eyes.

"What the hell is going on here?" the man demanded quietly. Before either of the boys could speak, the young girl turned around and ran to the blonde crying, "Naruto-oji!"

Kankuro paled. _'That guy...was her uncle? Oh, this was bad. Very, very bad.'_

The man's angry visage dropped from the intense disapproving glare into a small look of relief as he looked down at the girl latched onto his leg. The scowl returned as he looked at the sweating Konoha nin.

"Kiba, Sasuke. Front and center!" he barked, getting the Inuzuka and the Uchiha before him in a flash. Kankuro gaped, where did the raven-haired guy come from? The blonde's attention went to the trees and he narrowed his eyes, "You too, Tanuki-san."

Whatever color was left on Kankuro's face vanished as his younger brother reappeared with a look of worry and unease on his face. Gaara, the redheaded boy that had reappeared, was never unnerved. He never worried about meeting someone. This guy walks into the alley and makes beads of sweat fall on the redhead's forehead!

'_Just who is this guy?'_ Kankuro asked himself as he slowly got to his feet and listened in on what this guy was saying to the two Konoha genin.

"...I'm disappointed in both of you! Kiba, while your intentions were good, you never attack a foreign shinobi! I should have you in the T&I building just for that!" Naruto scolded the whimpering genin, before he looked at Sasuke, "And Sasuke! You should have stepped in and stopped the fight while Sakura went to get me! We are Konoha shinobi; No man gets left behind! That is our motto, that is our way, that is why we work. I want you both to thank Kami that I'm not turning either of you in for these misdemeanors, but know that I am informing Tsume-sama and Kakashi. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes Captain-sensei, sir!" the two boys repeated, having gotten a bit of training from the blonde on their journey back from the Yuki mission, as they were used to by the soldier-like shinobi. They stepped to the side as he crouched to detach Akane from his leg.

"Akane, as relieved as I am that you're safe, do not leave the academy grounds without myself or any of Team 7. Do you understand me?" he asked sternly with his hands on either of her shoulders. The still crying girl, nodded her head, getting a soft smile back before she was brought into a hug, "Thank kami you're safe..."

"C-Capi-sensei?" Sasuke's worried voice made the blonde look at him. The young genin glanced over at the Suna genin and the Tokujo nodded in understanding. Naruto handed Akane to Kiba, who carefully moved her to her feet and held her hand before he stood and approached the three Suna genin.

"You three are here for the Chunin exams, yes?" he asked, getting nods from the three of them. Naruto looked at them all before stopping on the one with red hair and black circles around his eyes. The symbol for 'love' carved into his head gained his attention and Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"You, Tanuki, what is your name?" he asked calmly but with suspicion.

The redhead swallowed, which made his two teammates shudder in fear, before he spoke, "S-Sabaku no Gaara, Konoha-san."

Naruto kept a soul-piercing gaze on Gaara for a moment before his features lightened and he smiled, "Well, Gaara-san, I hope you understand that while killing is allowed in this exam, I don't approve of losing comrades. Keep your feisty teammate in check and don't feed any tanuki, understood?"

The beast screaming in Gaara's mind to run away was now muttering orders to obey the man before him in the redhead's mind. The genin nodded curtly before vanishing in a swirl of sand, making Naruto arch a brow and rub his chin.

'_Impressive. Shukaku seems to have understood my threat, and from the look in the boy's eyes, he must have a large hold over his container. If I could break through to him like I did Killer Bee and Roshi…'_ His thoughts derailed as he realized the two Suna genin were staring at him in fear. Sheepishly chuckling, Naruto waved them off, "You're free to go-."

"That's it?" Kankuro blurted out, getting all eyes on him. He continued, "You get those two to snap into soldier mode, you make my nee-chan go googly-eyed, and you boss Gaara around like he's your student! Just who the hell are you! What are you? Don't you care why we were fighting? How'd you know I didn't start that fight?"

"Kankuro. Shut. Up!" Temari hissed through clenched teeth as she blushed in embarrassment at her brother's words. Her brother continued despite her warning.

"And your freaking brat of a niece ran into me, I almost punched her! And you...you probably didn't know that...fuck me," Kankuro whimpered as the blonde's eyes narrowed. Naruto leaned into Kankuro's face; a firm glare on his face before he spoke.

"You threaten kids at home?" he asked, getting a quick shake of the head in the negative as a response. Naruto arched a brow and asked, "Then why the fuck did you threaten my niece?"

"I-I-I-I-I..."

Naruto poked Kankuro once in the chest, making the boy shriek girlishly before he fainted. The blonde glared down at the unconscious puppeteer before looking at the girl, "Next time he threatens to harm a child, I'd better not be informed, or I'll be sure he can never have one. Tell him that."

"H-Hai!" Temari squeaked out. Naruto turned around and went back to Akane, picking her up under her arms and carrying her home while the two boys quickly followed. Temari swallowed heavily and put her arms under her brother's, dragging him along the ground before dropping him. She left him and decided that if he was attacked, he deserved it due to his stupidity.

* * *

"...Kaasan, you have to tell Kiba," Hana said as she sat across from her mother in the clan's head office. The woman stopped checking over the ninken's health reports and looked up with a frown. Hana had started pestering her about this a few days ago after she returned and had learned the truth. Despite being such a short amount of time, it was quickly getting on Tsume's nerves.

"I should have never told you the truth," she growled quietly before getting back to the reports. Hana scowled and crossed her arms.

"You should have told me that I had a father-figure rather than allowing me to forget him! Don't punish Kiba for an accident-" "He gave me his word, Hana!" Tsume interrupted with a snarl, slamming her hands on the desk to face her undeterred daughter, "When Namikaze Naruto gives you his word, he follows it through to the letter!"

"And he did," Hana shot back as she matched her mother's stance, "Cap-no, Tousan, swore he'd come back and he did. He came back. What you're mad about is that it took him so damn long!"

"No, what I'm mad about is that he left me alone!" Tsume snapped, her eyes softening into two wounded brown orbs, "He left me, left us when we needed him most. He could have stopped Danzo...He could have..."

"Don't you dare pin that on him!" Hana snarled, getting a growl from her mother, "He didn't know about it until we left Yuki! And if you want to play that game, why didn't you go to Kushina-Oba? Or adopt Akane?"

"Dammit, I would if I could, but I didn't know-" "Bullshit!" Hana interrupted, pointing at her mother, "You knew damn well whose daughter she was! You can't tell the difference, she's a damn clone of Kushina-Oba!"

Tsume stubbornly looked away, making Hana growl before the younger Inuzuka threw her hands in the air, "Kami! Fine! You wanna play that game, fine! I'll be at the kennel if you want to continue this, Kaasan. C'mon boys."

The three lying Haimaru got to their feet and followed their partner out of the room. The dogs had remained quiet during the spat, deciding that involving their own opinions could have led to an altercation with Kuromaru. Said elder canine waited until the door was slammed behind the heiress to the Inuzuka clan before he spoke, "She's right."

"Shut up, Kuromaru," Tsume growled. The one-eyed dog rolled his usable eye.

"Hey, I'll admit that he pissed me off, too," the dog started as he scratched his ear, "but you can't seriously be considering hiding him from Kiba. Soon enough, someone else is going to see the similarities between the two, and they'll bring it up. Kiba may even see it. What will you do then?"

"Kiba's smart, but he's not that smart," the clan head scoffed. She frowned, "And if it comes to that...I'll tell him off."

"You can't deny a child their father, Tsume," Kuromaru scolded in disapproval, "Just because he hurt you doesn't mean he'd ever hurt Kiba. You and I both know he'd never hurt his own son."

Tsume didn't reply, deciding to keep quiet and go through the paperwork. Kuromaru sighed and laid back down before he spoke again, "I won't go against you, whatever you decide, but know that I disapprove."

"...I know..." she quietly replied. Her own thoughts swirling over the situation. Does she tell her son the truth now, or risk losing him by lying even more?


	5. Chapter 5

~~Flashback~~

"Alright, men," Naruto began as he stood in front of a small group of potential Interrogators, amongst them was a tall man wearing the standard jonin uniform only, along with his headband being black, the rest of the clothing was black as well. The man had intrusive eyes, something that piqued Naruto's interest before he returned to his intro to the art of interrogation, "The Forth handpicked you men for a reason. That reason is one I do not know!"

The group collectively sweated in concern. Their proctor was uninformed?

As if reading their minds, Naruto continued with a sadistic smirk, "But I do know that you're all to be tested to see who will head the T&I section of our ANBU. Meaning, one of you will be right up there with the Yamanaka in the art of Interrogation. I personally prefer all-out open combat, but most of you probably already knew that. You managed to pass the jonin exams, after all. Not an easy feat."

The group of seven men nodded, save for the one that had originally caught Naruto's eye. He remained stoic and silent. Naruto's grin grew slightly and a twinkle appeared in his eyes. One that sent shivers down all the men's spines; even the stoic man's body gave an involuntary shiver.

"You have one objective, to successfully get the information concerning the Konoha Spy Network," Naruto said with a raised hand before an evil smirk crossed his face, "...Who wants to go first?"

The men furrowed their brows as they thought over their objective. Getting information concerning the infamous spy network that greatly assured victory in the Third War was notoriously difficult. Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, all three had tried to slip spies into the network, and all three failed horribly. Why? no one knew, but it was believed that the network was a ruse for the cover of one super-spy.

Only four men knew otherwise.

"Well fine, then," Naruto pouted after a few minutes had passed and no one had volunteered, "I'll pick. Hm...You! Third to the left with the menacing stature. Follow me."

When it came time for the last one to be chosen, the stoic man nodded curtly before following the blonde. Naruto smirked as they entered the small room, shutting the door behind the one being challenged first. He waited patiently for the outburst, timing the jonin with calculating eyes. The first three burst in confusion, the next two assumed it was a spar and tried to attack him, and the last one simply walked back out, claiming it was a waste of time and troublesome.

Shame, he really wanted a Nara in the T&I department.

"...This is all a ruse," the man spoke with a deep voice, but realization in his eyes as he looked at the blonde super-shinobi. Naruto smirked and clapped his hands slowly.

"You know the answer," Naruto started, "But what is the question?"

"The question is obviously 'what is the purpose of the Network'," the man replied with a grunt, making Naruto's smile widen, "The network is notorious for being a ruse, but it's also openly known that the only four to know the truth about the network: The Third, Jiraiya-sama, The Forth, and you. You're our tester and your 'objective' gave the true purpose away."

"Exactly," Naruto explained with a nod, "You managed to see beyond the beyond, or as my brother puts it, 'Underneath the Underneath'. In hindsight, I should have used clones to lead you each into a room at once, fairly timing each of you before I came out."

"But your waiting game also made some sweat out and come to rash decisions," the man pointed out, "The thuds were hard to miss, and seeing that there were two of them, I can assume that the two idiots tried to interrogate you."

"Depends on what you consider the definition of the word 'interrogate' is," Naruto pointed out before stretching, "Man, Nii-sama should have done this himself. I knew I should have made the test harder...What's done is done, though I guess. State your name, T&I."

"Morino Ibiki," the now known Ibiki replied. Naruto nodded and patted the man on the shoulder.

"Alright, Ibiki, follow me. Your first mission briefing with the Forth as the Head of T&I starts in five minutes," the blonde shinobi said with authority.

~Present~

"So they decided to go through with it, eh?" Naruto asked Kakashi as the masked shinobi appeared next to him at the Konoha Park. The two were seated on a bench and watched Akane play with other Academy students, the young girl laughing as she played tag with Sarutobi Konohamaru, the grandson of the Sandaime, and his two friends Udon and Moegi.

His trademark orange book put away due to the disapproving glare from his sensei's brother, Kakashi nodded as he lounged back in the chair, "Wanna join me in the Jonin waiting-lounge? Iruka's got the kids under his watch."

"The Umino kid?" Naruto asked with an arched brow. Getting a nod from his brother's white-haired student, Naruto stood with a stretch, "Eh, I don't see why not...Better tell Akane-chan we'll be going though. She can throw quite the tantrum when I don't tell her something."

"Kushina-sensei at her best, eh?" Kakashi asked with a smile, chuckling fondly at a memory whereas the blonde shuddered at his own.

"Yeesh, I hope not..." Naruto grumbled before he approached the girl hiding behind a slide. Kakashi watched as the blonde uncle surprised the girl by picking her up from behind. Akane released a little squeal of surprise before Naruto put her down and told her where he was going and that he'd send a Kage Bunshin to pick her up after school. Although sad that her uncle couldn't take her, the girl nodded and gave him one more hug before running off to play with her friends.

"Alright, its done," Naruto said as he approached his brother's student, wrapping an arm over Kakashi's shoulder, "Now...how many books did you say Ero-sennin released? I need to be sure of the amount he released so I know how many punches I owe him."

Yuuhi Kurenai was normally a patient woman. Her students were all relatively well behaved and she had a budding relationship with a fellow jonin, Sarutobi Asuma, the younger son of the Third Hokage. She accepted most other Jonin despite her quirks and was notably best friends with one Mitarashi Anko. The one Jonin she could never see eye-to-eye with was the lazy, perverted, one-eyed Hatake Kakashi.

Why the man got under her skin, she hadn't a clue, but ever since her first induction as a Jonin a few months ago, her observations of the man had yet to show her why he was respected. Sure, she had seen him in action on missions, understanding why he was seen as a shinobi, but as a person, he seemed to lack respect for others.

"Yo, Kurenai, you ok?" Asuma asked as they sat in the jonin lounge, his feet propped up on the small table in the center of the U-shaped couch. Another few Jonin from foreign nations spill in, two notably being from Iwa and Kumo respectively. The two shinobi took note of their host village's jonin and their allies taking the couch and vacated the room.

Kurenai looked back at her somewhat-boyfriend and nodded, "Yeah, sorry. That was weird though...why would Kumo and Iwa enter the chunin exams?"

"To gather information?" Asuma suggested before shrugging, "Who cares? As long as they aren't out to get us right now, I'm fine."

Kurenai rolled her eyes, "Lazy-ass."

"I'm managing with it though," Asuma shot back as he reached for a smoke. The cigarette in his hands instantly changed into a fishing worm and out of reflex, Asuma flared his chakra, dispelling the genjutsu. He put the cigarette in his mouth and gave a wounded look to the red-eyed, raven-haired woman seated next to him, "You keep doing that and I'll start to think you don't like me..."

Kurenai scowled, "I like you just fine...when you don't smell like smoke. How you haven't been detected by enemies while on a mission, I'll never know."

"It's a trade-" "He manipulates the chakra in the air around his body to keep his scent concealed. It's a simple training technique that most wind users after they manage to cut the waterfall."

The gathered Jonin turned to see a blue armored shinobi with a shield on his arm. Many felt their jaws fall open and women in the room felt the blood rush to their faces. His face was frighteningly similar to that of their heartthrob of a Forth, a key difference being the whisker-like marks on his cheeks and the slightly more rugged look he had.

Next to him was the masked self-proclaimed master of one thousand jutsu, Kakashi himself. The masked nin gave a simple wave and his one visible eye closed as he greeted the room, "Yo!"

Naruto chuckled at his laid-back friend, "You're sure you wouldn't be late to your own funeral?"

"Meh, I doubt anyone would like to be on time, why be the first?" the response got a few chuckles from around the room, and the blonde shinobi rolled his eyes before scanning the room, "Huh, and here I thought Gai would be-"

"AH! MY ETERNAL RIVAL! YOU HAVE BEATEN ME TO THE YOUTHFUL LOUNGE!" a boisterously loud voice exclaimed behind them. Naruto nodded as Kakashi sighed sadly.

"Yup, there he is!" Naruto murmured to himself before turning to face Gai, "Hey, Gai! How's it goin' being a sensei?"

Gai's face became one of shock and he leaned back with a look of horror on his face, "EGAD! A UNYOUTHFUL SPIRIT IS HAUNTING MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

Naruto's happy smile fell into a scowl and a tic appeared above his right eye, "Ungrateful bastard...be the only one to greet him and he calls me a ghost?"

"I MUST INFORM THE HOKAGE!" Gai exclaimed before dashing off. Naruto's shield-bearing arm pulled back and his eyes narrowed, his teeth grit, his body tensed, but before he could throw the defensive weapon, Kakashi pulled the blonde shinobi into a dual under-arm headlock.

"Just let him go, Cap-sensei!" Kakashi grunted out as Naruto's body struggled to follow through with his plan, "Let the Third talk to him! Just let it go and come on!"

"That ungrateful, why I oughta..." Naruto grumbled as Kakashi slowly began to pull him into the room. The room's occupiers were quiet as Kakashi shoved the taller and stronger blonde to the couch, before taking a seat for himself and pulling his book out. It was quickly put away before a kunai could pierce it, making Kurenai blink. Her attention went to the glowering shinobi that resembled the Forth.

"Don't read Ero-Sennin's smut in my presence," Naruto growled, putting the shield on his arm in his lap and pulling a polishing rag out from his side pocket, "Bad enough that you read that crap in public."

Kakashi's eye saddened as he looked towards his friend in a hurt fashion, "Give it a chance, Capi-sensei...you never know, you might get inspired by it!"

"And if you dropped your book once in a while, you'd get laid," Naruto pointed out with his rag-wielding hand. This sent Kakashi into a depressed state as he sunk to the floor and hugged his knees to his chest. Naruto rolled his eyes and resumed scrubbing the shield, before looking up at the two nearest sets of eyes staring at him, "What? Never seen a guy clean his favored weapon before?"

"F-F-Forth-sama?" Asuma asked, his eyes wide. Naruto arched a brow.

"You must be Asuma, Hiru-Jiji told me about you," the blonde noted, smirking, "Sorry, I'm not Nii-sama."

"'Nii-sama'?" the crowd repeated under their breath. Naruto glanced at them before looking back at Asuma, and finally glancing down to Kakashi.

"Did everyone and their grandmother forget me, or is this a secluded case?" Naruto asked with a frown. Kakashi sheepishly chuckled and stood from his state of depression.

"Well...after you vanished, and uh, the ROOT rebelled...with Minato-sensei's death and all..." his nervous explanation was understood by the remaining Namikaze.

"So basically everyone forgot about the Captain Rasengan?" Naruto grumbled as he sat back with crossed arms, "Figures. Save a village from a civil war, you're remembered for eternity, hold off the freaking enemy Jinchuriki and you're nothing. I knew I should have fought Nii-sama for the seat."

"I didn't forget you, Cap-sensei, if that helps..." Kakashi offered. Naruto smiled thankfully at the man before resuming his cleaning. Mentally, he and Kakashi were counting down: '6...5...4...3...2...And...Now.'

"NAMIKAZE NARUTO?" a good portion of the older shinobi exclaimed while others started whispering in confusion. Before he knew it, Naruto was swarmed by several jonin who were asking furiously where he had been. Not one for crowded spaces, Naruto narrowed his eyes and growled.

The crowd dispersed and dragged the still confused few out of the room with them upon realizing he was irritated at them. Naruto huffed and smirked, "Serves 'em right, trying to gang up on me. Impatient bastards..."

"I'm sorry, but you...you're claiming to be the Captain Konoha, right?" Kurenai asked curiously. He glanced at her and she fought the urge to blush when his curious blue eyes locked on her.

"Not claiming to be, I am the Captain Konoha," he replied with a small smile before looking back to his shield, "On a mission a few years back, I got knocked unconscious and frozen. Due to my...skill, I was kept alive and preserved by a layer of chakra surrounding my body. Kakashi and his team found me and a few days later, ta-dah! I'm home."

"I like my version better," Kakashi muttered, getting a smirk from the blonde.

"In your version, I'm in a blind rage and am only calmed by the beauty of Koyuki-hime. Something that is a complete farce," Naruto chuckled out, making the white-haired man frown.

"...I still like it better..."

"That answers the who and how, but care telling me why you're here?" Asuma asked once he snapped from his stupor, shakily lighting a cigarette. Naruto nodded and threw a thumb in Kakashi's way.

"He asked me to come. Simple as that," The blonde shrugged before lifting his shield up to examine it, "Hm...I should stop by the Dragon's Pit...I need a better cleaner."

"So does anyone know who the proctor is?" Kakashi asked the other two as his sensei's brother was too involved in cleaning his shield. Asuma and Kurenai looked to their fellow jonin and nodded.

"Yeah, pops told me he asked Morino Ibiki to do it," Asuma chuckled, "Man those kids are screwed."

"Yeesh, I would've just given up if I knew," Kakashi grumbled as he sat back, "No way in hell would I take a test with Ibiki as my proctor."

"I don't understand, who's Ibiki?" Kurenai asked curiously. Before Kakashi could reply, Naruto spoke up as he sealed his shield away.

"He's a psycho that's damn good at what he does," the armored nin said before sitting back with his hands locking behind his head, "I should know, I'm the one that appointed him the job of T&I."

"You did?" the three chorused in surprise. Naruto smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm positive that Kakashi's team will pass," the blonde said with a nod to the man, "That's only due to the fact that I've personally trained the kids for a week."

"I wondered why they seemed so eager to finish the D-Ranks over this past week," Kakashi mused before mock glaring at the blonde, "You can't take my job!"

"A job you're not doing?" Naruto countered before shrugging, "You like the spare reading time, don't try to deny it."

"...Touché," the masked Jonin relented as he sat back and relaxed. The two other jonin exchanged a curious look before they looked back at the shield-wielding shinobi. Naruto paused and his chakra flared once before a duplicate appeared in a plume of smoke. The double gave a two-fingered salute before he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"Going to pick up Akane-chan?" Kakashi inquired.

"Duh," Naruto replied with a smirk, "You know, you could do the same. She loves hearing your stories, ya know."

"Meh, I'm too lazy," the masked one replied. Naruto scowled at the man before quickly smacking him with a palm.

"OW!" "Serves you right for ignoring your little sister!" Naruto scolded before going back to cleaning the shield in his lap. He paused and looked up, "Huh, wonder how the kids are doing?"

Kiba sent a sideways glance to Sasuke, who was seated a few feet ahead of him, before looking up at the canine on his head and whispering, "Is he done?"

Akamaru whined once and Kiba smirked before looking down at his paper, "Ok buddy, what'd the Teme put down for number four?"

Sakura finished answering all of her questions and smiled proudly. Written exams were her best after all. A light-headed feeling overcame her and she fell forward before sitting back up. A sly smirk crossed her face as she quietly whispered, "Thanks forehead. I knew I could count on you..."

"Hana!" Tsume called as she entered the vet's office. She had thought hard over the past week, and during that week her daughter had been avoiding her, walking out of rooms whenever she entered. Kiba had started to take notice, and if he started to ask questions either she'd be forced to lie to him or Hana would tell Kiba the truth.

Neither was something she wanted to happen. She was being childish in harboring a grudge over Naruto's disappearance. It wasn't the blonde's fault and the next time she saw him she'd do what she could to make up for trying to kill and/or neutering him. First, though, she had to admit to her daughter that she was right...

Her pride was wounded just thinking about it.

"Hana! Get out here, dammit!" Tsume called, her impatience starting to get the best of her. Before she would lose her temper, the veterinarian stepped into the room and looked up from a chart.

"Hello, Kaasan, what can I do for you?" Hana's question had a professional edge to it that Tsume normally didn't receive. Restraining herself from smacking her daughter for taking a tone like that to the Alpha, Tsume took a deep breath.

"You were right, Hana," Tsume said quietly. Hana blinked twice before putting her clipboard down and crossing her arms.

"D-Did I hear right?" Hana asked with a small smile, making Tsume's eye twitch, "I could've sworn you said I was right..."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Tsume asked with a growl.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Kaasan," Hana shot back with a smile.

Tsume narrowed her eyes, "...Sure you don't. Anyway, I...I need your help."

"With what?" Hana asked with a frown. The clan head growled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Telling your brother who his father is," grumbled Tsume. Hana's confused frown twitched upwards into a pleased smile.


	6. Chapter 6

~~Flashback~~

"I want a crack at him!" Naruto demanded with a snarl as he stood in front of the Sandaime with his hands on the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from the various mission reports that had gone wrong since tensions between Iwa and Konoha had been rising. Numerous encounters with their sworn enemy had been rising and the recent attack on Uzuoshigakure no Sato did nothing to cool the two factions down. That and having one of their strongest shinobi in the ANBU holding cells seemed to make Iwa think Konoha was falling apart.

"I cannot allow that Naruto-Kun," Sarutobi replied with a heavy sigh, "You're not in the right state of mind. You are too emotionally involved."

"You're damn right I am!" Naruto snarled, his eyes flashing red as his fist nearly broke the desk before him, "He experimented on me! Like I was some fucking animal!"

"And how does this attitude prove him wrong?" the Sandaime asked as he interlaced his fingers, eyeing the Jinchuriki, "You're still emotionally recovering whether you like it or not, and Orochimaru will take advantage of your current state of mind!"

Naruto's teeth grit and he pushed off the desk before storming out of the office. Sarutobi waited for the door to slam before he summoned an ANBU. Under his breath, the Hokage gave an order, "Follow him and observe him. I don't want him to do something he'll regret."

"Yes Hokage-sama," The ANBU replied with a nod before vanishing. Sarutobi sighed and rubbed his temples with two fingers. Things were going to get very, very bad soon.

Naruto walked through the village with a scowl on his face, not looking up as he walked. His build and scowl caused the walking villagers to give him a wide birth, hence why he could walk without watching where he went.

Until he knocked someone on their butt.

"Hey watch it, mister!" the young girl with purple hair growled as she tilted her head back to glare at the man, only to freeze when she saw the man looking at her with an arched brow.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized sheepishly, his angry mood quickly switching to a happy façade he had been trying to stop using. He bent over and offered the girl a hand. Her almond-colored eyes widened and a faint blush crossed her face before she took his hand with a quiet "Thank you."

"No problem," The blonde replied with a smile as he pulled her to her feet. Naruto patted the now standing girl on the head, "Where were you off to in such a hurry?"

The girl looked at her feet shyly, "Well, I, um, I...I wanted to get back to the orphanage before the dinner is out."

"Is that right?" Naruto asked with a smile, putting his hands on his hips, "Well, need a lift?"

"Um...N-Not if it's too much trouble, niisan..." she replied, giving a surprised shriek as the well-built blonde suddenly hoisted her onto his shoulders.

"Your shinobi transport for today is Namikaze Naruto," he said with a hand cupping his mouth, getting a laugh from the girl, "I'm gonna need a name for my clientele list."

"Mitarashi Anko!" The girl joyfully replied, getting a grin from the man.

"Well, Anko-chan," he replied, "Hold on tight!"

Naruto crouched down with his hands lightly gripping the girl's ankles before he jumped straight up, the rushing air making Anko laugh in joy, and leaped to a nearby rooftop. He took the 'scenic' route back to the orphanage, jokingly playing the part of a tour guide. Anko enjoyed every second of it, laughing along the way. His little game had caused her to miss dinner, but to compensate he took her out for a doughy treat that she would learn to love.

Anko would grow to love her Naruto-niisan, and the blonde would find himself growing attached to the little spitfire. When his inevitable vanishing would occur, the then ten-year-old would be distraught and cold, rising in her class to the top and attracting the attention of a certain snake. His later experiments would cause the girl to forget about the blonde super-nin, but she'd never been the wiser.

~Present~

"So let me get this straight," Naruto started as he, Ibiki, and Kakashi sat at the table in the Namikaze estate, "Little Ko-chan, my little imouto, is one of your best interrogators?"

"Tch, I think it's because she's your imouto that she's the best," Ibiki chuckled out as he took a sip of his sake. It was only an hour after the first proctor had reported to the Sandaime with the results of the first section of the Exams, and Ibiki had run into the laid-back shinobi pair, who asked him to join them for a drink. They returned to the Namikaze estate and were greeted by a rampaging sugar-high Akane. Naruto tapped a few pressure points and had put her to bed, deciding to forgo the joy of trying to exhaust a five-year-old. Dispelling his clone with a growl, Naruto quickly pulled one of the best bottles out and opened it, pouring three cups and downing five shots in record time.

"Yeah, but it could be because of Orochimaru's curse mark," Kakashi said before finding his air path cut off. Naruto's hand was clutched tightly around the cyclops and his eyes were red.

"What curse mark?" Naruto snarled. Kakashi's hands went to his sensei's brother's wrist.

"C-C-Cap'n...A-A-Air..." Kakashi gasped out. Ibiki quickly grabbed a portion of the Taichou's arm, making the blonde warrior release the silver-haired one. The masked shinobi's head hit the table with a loud gasp.

"Ow! Dammit!" Naruto growled, glaring at Ibiki with his normal blue eyes, "What the hell?"

"You snapped," Ibiki calmly replied as he poured more sake for the super-shinobi, "A few years after you vanished, Anko became determined to become a top shinobi so she could find you. Her determination and skill attracted Orochimaru's attention, and he took her under his wing. Forth-sama had believed Orochimaru had turned a new leaf, as did the rest of the village. Hell, the man had seemed to have let go of his desire to be the Hokage. So he took Anko as an apprentice. But he had an underlying motive: testing on our shinobi."

"Son of a bitch," Naruto growled before quickly downing a shot, "Hit me."

Ibiki obliged the blonde and refilled his glass before he continued, "The first thing we found was a mass grave...of children. Orochimaru had spliced some of the Shodai's DNA into them. Fifty-nine children found. No names, no family ties. All orphans. One survived and he's in our ANBU, skilled in Mokuton. His current cover is Tenzo."

"Remind me to look him up and buy him a drink," Naruto noted as he took another drink, "Hit me."

Kakashi obliged this time and continued where Ibiki left off, "Before sensei could act, Orochimaru bolted and took Anko with him. He marked her and nine others with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, which is a seal of his own creation. She was the only survivor of the marking, but consequently lost the memories of anything before meeting Orochimaru."

"...He sealed her memories of me away..." Naruto snarled before crushing the glass in his hand. He flexed his hand as the shards fell and glanced over his shoulder towards Akane's bedroom. After a moment, the blonde looked back at the table and continued quietly, "I need to talk to Hiru-Jiji. Ibiki, you find out where Anko is this second, and when you find her, get her to my room. You remember it. Kakashi, I need you to stay and watch Akane."

"I understand," Kakashi said with a nod. Naruto smiled gratefully before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

"Tch, show off," Ibiki muttered before taking another drink. He left the same way once he had put his glass down, leaving Kakashi alone in the room. The masked shinobi looked around the room and reached for his book. The second it was pulled out, he shoved it back as a kunai shot from somewhere in the room.

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask, "Well, that's just cheating..."

"Hm, it's only been one hour since I sent them in, Ibiki," Anko mused as she chewed on a Dango stick, "Why should I leave the proctoring to you?"

"Because I have a friend that can get rid of your hickey," the head of Torture and Interrogation replied, making the woman stop what she was doing and swing an armed hand at him. Ibiki lifted his gloved hand and caught her wrist, "Don't do that, Anko."

"You're yanking my chain!" Anko hissed, "Jiraiya-sama couldn't get it off, and the Forth died before he could try. There's no one else alive!"

"That's where you're wrong," Ibiki pointed out, making one Kage Bunshin before he used shunshin to transport his best interrogator back to the 'room'. Anko lowered her hand and quickly spun around to strike an approaching shinobi, only to be caught in the same manner by a tanned hand. Blue eyes bore into her light brown ones and suddenly, a memory went through her head.

~~Short Flashback~~

"Niisan! Niisan!" she cried in joy as she jumped from the top of a slide to his arms. A brown-haired couple with markings on their faces laughed as the blonde who caught her fell to his back.

"Ugh! You're getting heavy, Ko-chan!" he teased, getting a scowl from the girl.

"Nu-uh! I'm just stronger than you!" Anko shot back, getting a frown from the boy.

"The hell you are! Ow!" the blonde shot back before wincing from a blow, "Hey! Don't hit your niisan!"

"I'm stronger than Nii-san~!" Anko sang out.

~Flashback End~

"Ah, I saw that," the blonde holding her wrist said with a smirk, making Anko blink as she came back to reality. Naruto grinned, "It's not as repressed as ole white-skinned hoped. Good, good. Now...I need to see the blemish."

"And who the hell do you think you are?" Anko asked with a growl. Naruto's smile fell.

"...I'm the best damn seals master on the planet," he replied neutrally before turning around and going through a book, "And here I thought this was going to be easy..."

Anko looked to a smirking Ibiki, " Seriously, who is this guy?"

"Now that's just annoying," Naruto spoke without looking and waving at Ibiki, "Get out, Bick. I'm working here."

Ibiki rolled his eyes and shunshin-ed away, leaving Anko alone with the blonde as he flipped through a large book. The second snake summoner kept her eyes on the blue-clad back of the blonde shinobi as he spoke quietly to himself, "This thing does that...and that does this...but then...Oh-whoops, wrong symbol...That makes much more sense...Are you still staring at me or am I going to have to strip you?"

"I'd like to see you try," Anko growled, lifting her kunai-wielding hand into a defensive position. Naruto didn't look back and merely shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Do it." He said in an orderly tone. Anko was about to ask the inevitable 'do what?' when two sets of arms grabbed her own and two legs were planted firmly in front of hers. A second later, the woman found herself face-down eating the floor as a third person sliced her jacket from the collar to the middle of her back, peeling it away to get a view of the seal.

During this, Naruto remained where he was flipping through books. Over his shoulder, he asked, "Did you get lost?"

"Stow it, Oyabun," a duplicate voice shot back in annoyance. Anko felt him breathing down her neck and held her breath. It wasn't the first time she'd been a familiar predicament, but it certainly would be the first where there wasn't an out. The breath on her neck backed away and the duplicate spoke again, "It's ugly. Sporadic, poor design, I'd be surprised if she didn't die immediately after placement. Maybe it's because of us that she lived?"

"Don't get too hopeful on me," the original said, "Dispel and let me see."

There was a familiar-sounding poof before the weight on her back vanished. Two weights on her back from either side replaced it before she could act and a growl escaped her lips.

"Come off it, Imouto..." Naruto drawled as he turned around and knelt down to her line of vision, "Where's the trust?"

"Asks the blonde bastard that has two men pinning me after he cut my favorite jacket," Anko spat back before smirking, "What, no dinner first? I can be persuaded to remove my clothes."

Naruto's face became deadpan, "There's not enough dango in the world to get you to do that. And the clones are there for a reason. Now don't move. One wrong stroke and...well, basically we go boom."

Anko bit back a response as his words, although humorous, had a serious tone underlying them. She remained still, as still as she could be, while the mysterious blonde applied the ink to her shoulder's "blemish". After an agonizingly long wait, Naruto sighed in relief, sitting back on his knees. Before she moved, he put a hand on her head, "Wait...FUIN!"

The cool ink instantly heated and Anko's eyes widened as memories that were locked away flashed before her eyes. Different pranks, different games, different days all came and went before her, and an empty spot in her heart filled. Before she went unconscious, she looked up at a worrying look on the whiskered blonde's face with a happy smile.

"N-Naruto...Niisan..." she whispered before succumbing to the exhaustion. Naruto gave a sigh of relief and dispelled his two remaining clones before turning the Hebi-Hime onto her back. He tucked one arm under her legs and the other around her shoulders before he stood and shunshin-ed to the hospital, leaving her with a trusted doctor before flickering to the Namikaze estate to prepare a spare room.

She's gonna want to know everything, he thought as he walked through his home. A small smile came over his lips, I wonder how she'll feel about being the same 'age' as her niisan?

A flare of chakra got the shinobi's attention and he focused on it. It was familiar...Dark, twisted and almost...snakelike.

"He's here!" Naruto said to himself as his eyes widened in alarm. He dashed to his room and grabbed his helmet before jumping out the window and taking it to the rooftops. The super shinobi felt his muscles tense and tightly clenched his teeth as he raced towards the Forest of Death. With narrowed red eyes, Naruto growled to himself, "You die today, Orochimaru..."

"W-What do you want from us?" Sasuke asked with a small stutter, silently cursing his fear to the strange woman wearing the Kusa headband. The woman chuckled with her disturbing voice as he struggled to remain in a defensive position over his fallen teammates. Sakura was out from a quick taijutsu combo, and the bitch took Kiba and Akamaru out with a genjutsu, causing them to slam into each other while they used the Gatsuuga (Fang Passing Fang) and knocking themselves out. Sasuke could feel the exhaustion from overexerting his Sharingan slip in and struggled to remain conscious.

"Dear Sasuke-Kun...I simply want to test you," The woman hissed with a smile, reminding the raven-haired teen of the second proctor. A shudder went down the Uchiha's spine as the woman continued, "Your eyes...they're so, so precious. With me, you could use them to learn more, get more power! To become stronger than your hated cousin."

The woman vanished and Sasuke stiffened when he felt her breathing on his back. The woman put her hands on his shoulders and lowly hissed, "Itachi..."

"Who are you?" The boy countered out of fear and unease. The person behind him radiated power, that much was true, but in comparison to his sensei's sensei's brother, the man was cold. He was a frozen night whereas Namikaze Naruto was a bright day. The darkness was stronger than power.

"I will explain everything when you come to me," the woman cooed in her hissing voice. It sent another shiver down the boy's back, and just when he thought it couldn't get weirder, she bit him.

"AAUUUGH!" Sasuke cried out after she had backed away. The woman opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off by a flying shield flying right into her mouth and sending her deeper into the woods.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out in concern, dropping to the boy's side and carefully pulling his high collar down. His eyes hardened and a growl escaped his lips. The curse seal was still cooling but if Naruto left it, it would corrupt Sasuke and the boy would attack the first thing he sees when he wakes up. The Captain pressed his hand onto the seal and pulsed his chakra through it, destroying the still settling seal before it could finish. Sasuke fell forward, barely conscious, and gasped for air.

"Ku, Ku, Ku...And here I thought you forgot me," a familiar (and hated) voice chortled out to the armored nin. Naruto's head whipped around and his eyes glowed red. His fangs were bared threateningly and a red aura flickered around him.

"Orochimaru..." Naruto growled the name like it was acid on his skin. The woman with a sliced face chortled and peeled the lower half of her face down, revealing pale white skin and a snake-like golden eye surrounded by a purple eyeliner.

The snake sanin gave the equivalent to a frown as he peeled the rest of his 'mask' off, "You stopped my seal. Interesting...What else did you learn from the Dobe and your dear brother?"

"I learned enough," Naruto snapped as he caught the rebounding shield without taking his eyes off the Sanin, "So...Rumor has it you became a Kage of a minor village. What? Didn't want to fight Nii-sama for the title after I 'left'?"

"Ku-Ku-Ku...Always the cheeky one, aren't you TL-09?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk. Naruto snarled and rushed at him, cocking his shield-wielding fist back with the intent to bash the Sanin's face in. Orochimaru ducked and aimed a punch for the blonde's gut, only for the man to vanish in a plume of smoke upon his fist's impact.

The snake swiveled around and blocked an incoming attack with a smirk, "So predictable, Naruto...That's why you'll never beat me."

"Is that right?" A voice said behind him making the Sanin's eyes widen as he turned, only to be sent flying back from a blow to the face from a chakra enhanced shield-wielding backhand. Orochimaru had the decency to groan while Naruto pressed a foot onto the Sanin's neck, "Then why do I get the feeling that I'm about to choke a bitch?"

"Grr...HYDRA! Kill the Captain!" Orochimaru shouted into the woods, his voice scratchy from the blonde's foot on his throat. Naruto bitch-slapped an ANBU with a sound symbol on his mask without looking up.

"HYDRA, eh? Returning to your own roots, Orochi-teme?" Naruto asked as he tossed his shield at the tree a few feet from them. The shield rebounded and took out two other HYDRA before returning to Naruto's location as he punched another approaching ANBU in the face, sending the man to the ground. Naruto caught his shield and slammed its edge into the man's mask, slicing the mask and the head through the middle. He looked back at the Sanin and snarled angrily when he saw an oxygen-deprived HYDRA ANBU.

"Ku-Ku-Ku...A noble effort, Taichou-Kun, but futile. We will meet again when the Leaf burns to the ground!" the Sanin's voice echoed around him. Naruto growled before lifting his foot from the HYDRA's throat and slamming it back into the neck, killing the agent instantly.

"You can bet your ass we'll meet again," Naruto growled to himself, "But you can be damn sure I'll stop you before the village burns!"

~~Flashback~~

Naruto sighed as he sunk into the hot springs that most of Konoha's shinobi use. Despite his already abnormal healing factor from the Kyuubi, he did get sore from his healed wounds. Considering he just returned from a spar with his brother's sensei, he was rather sore. The Jinchuriki let his eyes shut as he sank further into the waters.

'This is nice…' he thought to himself, getting a content growl from his tenant as an agreement.

His ear twitched when female voices suddenly spoke in the female's side of the baths; "So...Have you made a move on him yet?"

Ooh, village gossip. Blackmail material here I come, Naruto thought with a smirk as he sent chakra to his ears to listen.

The other woman in the baths sighed before she replied, "He just returned from the front lines and sparred with Jiraiya-sama, thankfully that pervert was put in the hospital. I'm not going to ask him with him coming and going like the wind-Hana! Get down from there!"

Naruto's eyes shot open and he looked up when a child's giggle distracted him. Peering down at him from the top of the fence separating the baths was a little girl, around 2 years old with long brown hair, two red clan marks on her cheeks. Her brown eyes glistened in joy and she attempted to pull herself over the fence, "Tousan!"

"Hana? Hana!" the blonde exclaimed when the girl toppled over heading for the concrete ground below. Naruto acted quickly, pushing himself to his feet and diving to the spot she would fall on, twisting so he would land on his back. The child landed on his chest, making him cough as the impact knocked the wind out of him.

"HANA!" the two women cried in worry, both of them popping up at the edge of the fence. Naruto looked through blurry eyes to see a redheaded woman biting on her bottom lip to keep from laughing and a brunette staring down with a blushing face. Keeping one hand on the giggling girl's side, Naruto weakly raised his other and waved.

"I got her..." he managed to say before coughing as he sat up. The women sighed in relief and dropped back to their side, two splashes alerting the super-shinobi that they reentered the pool. He looked from where the two women's heads were to the giggling Hana and frowned, "What were you thinking, Hana-chan? You could've gotten hurt."

"I find Tousan!" Hana cheered happily as if she hadn't done anything wrong.

Naruto sighed and dragged a hand down his face before smiling at the girl and lifting her up under her arms, "Yeah, but you gotta stay on the other side with Tsu-chan, ok?"

Hana frowned before tightly hugging the blonde, "No! Stay wif Tousan!"

"Hana-chan, you can't stay with me," the blonde sadly replied, despite being touched that she would want to be with him. He felt bad that he hadn't visited her as much as he should have been, but her calling him 'father' had seemed to be hurting Tsume. His friend and childhood crush had been slowly coming out of her depression, but he didn't want to be the cause for a re-spiral.

"No! Stay wif Tousan!" the girl continued, shaking her head before she started to cry, "Missed tousan! Make Tousan stay fo'ever!"

Naruto frowned and hugged her tightly, "Shh, shh...Hush little flower. It's ok..."

"Why you leave?" Hana bawled out, "Why Kiba-niisan leave? Kaasan sad, Hana sad! No wanna be sad!"

The blonde shinobi slowly rubbed her back with a sad frown at the mention of his friend. He frowned in concern for his friend but shook the feeling off as he focused on the girl in his arms. Kissing the top of her head softly, Naruto whispered soothingly, "I'm here now, Hana-chan. You don't have to cry anymore. Shh."

The girl's sobs quieted to small hiccups and sniffles before she yawned. Naruto smiled and kissed her head before readjusting his towel and leaving the springs. He laid Hana on a chair before going into the dressing room stall to re-clothe himself. As he pulled his shirt on, he heard the curtain slide open and a small weight braced against his ankle. Smiling down at the girl, he lightly patted her head before picking her up and carrying her out to the front of the springs, where her mother and his sister-in-law waited patiently.

Well, Kushina was surprisingly patient at least. Though the smile on her face was a little cause for concern...

"Hana!" Tsume exclaimed in relief as she approached the two, reaching out to take her from the blonde. Naruto made no move to stop her, but both were surprised when Hana stubbornly clung to his neck.

"No!" the little brunette cried out stubbornly, her face scrunched up in anger and exhaustion, "Stay wif Tousan!"

"Inuzuka Hana!" Tsume said sternly, "You will come home with me this instant!"

"NO!"

"Hana-chan, just go with Kaasan, hm?" Naruto suggested almost pleadingly. It's not like he wanted Tsume to get mad at him all over again...not like he needed that either.

"NO!" Hana cried, hugging the blonde's arm tighter, "Stay!"

Tsume's eye twitched and she growled lowly, "Hana..."

"NO!"

"Tsu-chan," Naruto whispered, getting the woman's attention, "I'll just carry her...if that's ok? Just trust me on this, please?"

Tsume bit her lip before nodding. Naruto smiled and walked the young Inuzuka home, her mother following behind with a frown on her face. Later that night, Tsume would be grateful that her daughter had the same bull-headedness that she was said to have.

...It goes without saying that Naruto would be, too.

~~Present~~

"Ow..." Kiba groaned out as he sat up, "Ugh...T-Teme? Sakura?"

"Kiba!" A familiar voice cried in relief. The scent of cherry blossoms hit the young Inuzuka's nose before two rather scrawny arms wrapped around his neck. When the arms released him, a smaller weight landed on the preteen's lap before enthusiastic licking his jaw. Kiba laughed as he pushed the puppy down and patted him on the head while he examined his surroundings.

"Glad to see you're okay too, boy," He said to Akamaru, who barked once in reply, before looking at his teammate kneeling next to him, "Where's Sasuke-Teme? And where's the snake-smelling freak? How'd we get in this cave?"

Sakura looked around worriedly before looking back at him, "Sasuke-Kun is resting a bit because that person bit him. I woke up a while ago and found this scroll. Read it."

Kiba blinked before taking the small offered scroll, unrolling it and reading it.

Team 7,

You're all okay now. I suggest taking a few hours to rest before you hightail it to the tower. The snake person was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. I managed to drive him off, but I doubt he came into the village alone. Keep your guards up and remember what Kaka-baka and I taught you.

Good Luck,

Taichou

Kiba blinked before sighing and rolled the scroll back up. Tucking it into his jacket, the preteen Inuzuka stood and stretched in the small cave before looking at Sakura. With a hushed voice, Kiba spoke, "Taichou-sensei's right. My head is still killing me and Sasuke's unconscious. We've got to stay put for just a bit longer before we bolt to the tower."

"Is that the smartest idea though?" Sakura asked with a bit of concern. The Inuzuka heir grinned much like the Forth's brother.

"He's the Konohagakure no Taichou, why shouldn't we believe in him?"

Meanwhile, the shinobi in question was standing before the Hokage and the Council with his arms crossed. He had just debriefed the collective heads of the village and informed them of the Hebi-Sannin's presence within the village. Naturally, the civilians began whispering worriedly while the clan heads with their heirs in the exams were vocalizing their concerns.

"Don't cancel the exams," Naruto instructed with hardened eyes, silencing the room before he sighed and elaborated, "That's the last thing we want to do. If we send the other participants away before the conclusion of the second test, it will tip the Kages off that something is up. Consequently, if we decide to call the exams during the month wait, it will be another form of warning. What we must do now is go through with it and double-check our security."

"Are you questioning the Hyuuga Byakugan?" Hiashi asked, knowing full well that most of the village's security relied on the Hyuuga's bloodline. In fact, most of the gates were under the constant gaze of the Byakugan, with various members of the clan taking up the roster for the watch/guard position. Minus Kotetsu and Izumo, of course.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Oh get over yourself, Hiashi. I'm not questioning your bloodline. Hizashi was on my genin squad, remember? I know how effective it is, firsthand at that, too."

"What do you suggest then, Nar-er, Namikaze-dono?" Tsume, who had been unusually silent for the past few meetings whenever said blonde was brought up, asked. The blonde super shinobi glanced at her in shock before shaking his head and addressing the council as a whole.

The grin that suddenly split the Captain's face caused a few to shiver in worry while some felt sweat fall down the sides of their heads. Those closer to the blonde younger brother of their deceased Forth and current head of the Namikaze household felt that whatever would leave the blonde's mouth would be both genius and idiotic.

"Let me be the proctor for the prelims and finals!"

...They were not disappointed.

Though the others were severely confused. Surely their Hokage would make sense of his words and ask the man to explain them...right?

"Hm...I approve, Naruto-Kun. You may proceed and relieved Hayate of his duty. If that is all?" Their Sandaime asked, his hands folded and an approving expression on his face. Naruto nodded in response before holding two fingers from his right hand to his temple in a salute.

"Ja ne, Hokage-sama," the blonde super shinobi said before he vanished in a gust of wind. The Council collectively groaned. It was official, they were out of the loop.

Naruto reappeared in the Tower of Training Ground Forty-Four, right outside the lunch hall. He walked in and blinked.

Team Seven was seated at a table with the rest of the Rookie 9 as they were called. Eyeing them, Naruto mentally compared the teams.

Team Eight is Kurenai's squad, he thought as he looked the three kids over. The first he spotted was the shy and reclusive Hinata, the heir to the Hyuuga Clan. She was shaking all over and it was obvious, due to her nervous glances, that it was because of the other Hyuuga in the room.

'_Neji…'_ Naruto thought sadly, ashamed of how he failed the obviously cold branch Hyuuga member. Shaking the thought, he looked to the rest of Team 8, his eyes locking on the Aburame.

'Shibi and Mushi's boy, if I recall correctly,' mused the tall blonde as he watched the tall boy sit quietly. Blue eyes flickered one space next to the human-hive.

'_...Now, who is this?'_ Naruto thought with furrowed brows, frown becoming prominent as he observed the other female. She had pale skin and light brown hair, which meant she wasn't outside often or that she had a condition like Hayate Gekko. He looked her over, her long sleeves similar to Kurenai and her equally enticing attire, for a girl her age anyway, made her out to be a genjutsu mistress in the making.

'_Interesting...I'll talk to Kurenai-san more about this if she's who I think she is,'_ Naruto mused before looking at the noisy Team 10. Frowning, he thought,_ 'Asuma needs to teach these kids discipline and self-control. And what was Hokage-Jiji thinking? A second Ino-Shika-Cho group? Surely he realizes that the first squad would have been made examples in Iwa and Kumo's academies, right?'_

"Hey! Stop staring at us!" cried out the platinum blonde girl of Team Ten. Naruto blinked when the genin in the room looked his way. Immediately, much to the shock of the others, the members of Team 7 were surrounding him and asking him questions.

"Captain-sensei, how'd you beat that snake guy? Did you kill him? Sasuke says you didn't, but you had to have! Akamaru couldn't catch a single scent!"

"What was that thing he tried to do to my neck? And where'd you get the scroll?"

"Sensei, what happened to Sasuke-Kun after we were knocked out? He won't tell us!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Naruto cried out over the three's questions all the while holding his hands out, "Settle down! I'm just checking in to see who made it."

The Yamanaka from before scowled, "Who are you? I thought only jonin sensei are allowed in the tower?"

Naruto snorted and crossed his arms, but before he could reply, Team 7 came to his rescue with a combined, "SHUT UP, INO!"

Chuckling at the outburst, Naruto rested his hands on Sakura and Sasuke's heads before ruffling their hair. The two scowled while Kiba snickered before he joined them as Naruto gave him a light whack upside the head. Akamaru yipped happily from his place in his partner's jacket, safe from the abuse.

"To answer your question, Yamanaka-san, my name is Namikaze Naruto," he replied once he finished correcting his pseudo-students. The Yamanaka heiress gave him a confused glance, but before she could speak, a pair of squeals were heard.

Tenten and Rock Lee soon found themselves being stared at by the many eyes in the room. The former also turning to stare at the latter, who quickly shot to his feet and in a green blur appeared in front of the so-called intruder.

Lee stared in awe at the man before him before clasping his hands together, "Ah! The Youthful younger brother of our Forth has returned! Can you teach me the secrets of the Hidden Leaf Swallow? Gai-Sensei said he hasn't mastered it yet and didn't wish to teach me until he could! Please, most youthful Taichou, teach me!"

"...The Hidden Leaf what-now?" Naruto asked as he scratched his head before he snapped his fingers, "OH! You mean the Uzumaki Draining technique! It must have been renamed when...Anyway, sure, maybe after the exams."

Lee nearly exploded as he bowed repetitively, "AH! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Maa, go sit down, Green," Naruto waved the preteen off with a grin, "You're getting glared at by the bun haired girl and the Hyuuga girl."

"Ha! Told you that was a girl, Temari!" Kankuro exclaimed as he nudged his drooling sister as she stared at the older blonde. Neji's eyes shut and twitched irritably before glaring at the Suna nin.

"I'm a boy," he growled, making the paint-wearing boy lose his smile. Neji then glared at the blonde standing behind the snickering members of Team 7. Naruto smirked and crossed his arms.

"The Hyuuga Glare doesn't work on me, Neji-chan," teased the Tokubetsu Jonin, getting a darker scowl from the boy, "Ooh, you've mastered level two. Hiashi has been teaching you well."

The glare dropped and looks of confusion were sent his way. Naruto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Goddamn it, you didn't get detailed reviews of the Third War did you?"

"Told ya so, Sensei," Sakura said to the blonde as he hung his head. Naruto merely started muttering about crappy peacetime lessons before he turned to leave. He stopped at the doorway and looked back at Team 7 with a smile.

"If you don't manage to win your fights, just know that I'm proud of you for making it this far," Naruto said with a nod to the three before leaving in a shower of leaves.

"Aw man...when's he gonna teach us that technique?" whined Kiba. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief.

"You're an idiot." "Hey!"

Naruto returned to the Namikaze manor after his visit with Team 7, his shoulders sagging in relief. The blonde made a few quick hand seals before his armor dispersed, returning to the hidden compartment in his bedroom after doing so. Naruto stretched his arms upwards as he continued to walk into the living room shirtless and clad in only his boxers.

He was a bachelor, what did you expect?

"Naruto-oji!" a very excited squeal cried out before something slammed into his leg. Naruto grunted at the impact before looking down to see the twinkling blue eyes of his niece and her smiling up at him. Naruto beamed one back.

"Akane-chan! How was your nap?" he asked as he hooked his hands under her arms to lift her up. The girl giggled and hugged him around his neck, squealing when he spun her around with a hug back.

"It was good, Naruto-oji," Akane replied as she smiled at him, "Especially after Nee-chan made me some pancakes!"

"Nee-chan?" Naruto asked with his brows furrowed before his danger sense kicked in and he ducked. A flying blur crashed into the wall with a groan and Naruto smirked as soon as he made out the figure.

"So, did you have a good name, Ko-chan?" the blonde teased. Anko sat up with a huff.

"Dammit! Why can't I ever catch you with that?" the purple-haired woman, still dressed in her usual attire, asked with a pout before she asked, "And where've you been all this time? When I asked Kakashi he shrugged and resumed looking over a scroll."

"He left shortly afterward, didn't he?" Naruto deadpanned, and receiving a nod, Naruto shook his head, "Ero-Sennin's influence is deep if he left after you woke up. Hn, and I was supposed to debrief him...Oh well. Akane-chan, why don't you go do your homework? Ko-chan and I have to talk about grown-up things."

"Aww..." the disappointed girl whined as she was set on the ground. Naruto pats her on the head.

"I'll take you to the park if you do it all today," he bargained, getting a determined smile from the girl.

"Ok!" Akane replied before dashing towards her room where her school bags were. Once the two shinobi were sure she was out of the room, tension filled the air. One that was thick enough to be cut with a physical kunai.

"...Before you start interrogating me, can I at least get some pants on?"

"...Why?"

"Yeah, I figured you would say that..."

And like that the tension was gone.

Nearly four hours later Naruto, now wearing shinobi slacks and a white shirt, sat in the living room with Anko going over the defensive plans for the next month. Anko had taken Orochimaru's infiltration relatively well if by that one meant she started foaming at the mouth and demanded to know where he was before Naruto had literally smacked some sense into her. Luckily, it was just a few upsides the head smacks, and no bruises were left. Yet.

"...No, I'm telling you, if he's going to do anything it's going after Hokage-Jiji," Naruto argued, "I know Oro-teme better than you, Anko, and he hates Nii-sama and Hokage-Jiji more than he loves little boys. He wants to see the village burn, but if we manage to repress the invasion, what better way to put out the Will of Fire than killing the Hokage?"

"I still say he'll go after the Uchiha-Inuzuka," Anko muttered with a scowl, "But if that's true, I'm asking to be his guard."

"No," the blonde sternly replied, "Not only will that tip-off Orochimaru, but he'll use you against the Old Man. You're on security duty with the jonin sensei."

"Tch, fine! But I don't want to be near the nobles," She warned, "Last time I had to bodyguard one of those stuck up bastards they tried to cop a feel."

Naruto gave her a deadpanned stare, "And with how you dress you're surprised by this?"

"...Shut up, Niisan."

Before the sibling banter could begin, a knock came from the door and Naruto went to answer it. Upon opening the door, Naruto's eyebrows vanished into his hairline when a defeated Tsume stood on the front porch with a smiling Hana and a gob-smacked Kiba.

However, before a word could be said by the confused Namikaze, Kiba exclaimed, "I can't believe you're my father and you didn't tell me!"


End file.
